Our Sky
by xanimelover121x
Summary: Retsu was a normal kid with below average grades. Then he met his new tutor, Reborn. Suddenly, he and his friends are thrown into the dangerous world of the mafia, on their way to becoming the 11th generation of the infamous Vongola Family.
1. Akimura Retsu

**Disclaimer: As we all know, I don't own this, and almost definitely never will.**

**For all of you who're reading this and like my other fic, Love's Many Risks, don't worry. I most certainly have not given up on it. In fact, I'm going to go write a chapter of that as soon as I finish this intro-thingy. This idea just came to me in school, and I've always wanted to do a next generation fic, so why not? **

**I'm going to try and alternate releases of the two, but if I get some epiphany about one or the other, I'll probably work on that. I hope you like this. If you do, drop me a review. If you don't...well, I'd still kind of rather you review, but I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to. It'd probably hurt my feelings anyways. *cries* Just kidding! **

**For those of you who've already read this and are going back, I've added a few minor edits here and there, but it shouldn't be that different from the original. For those of you who haven't, please enjoy!  
**

**Now, I present to you the first chapter of ****Our Sky.**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 1: Akimura Retsu

"Retsu, it's time for school!" a woman's voice called from the ground floor. When she received no response from her son, she stomped up the stairs to his room. The woman threw open the door, and almost gasped. She'd just cleaned in here the day before yesterday! How was it humanly possible to make such a big mess in the space of a little more than a day!

And a mess it was. Clothes were piled high in towering stacks, some of which were leaning to one side precariously. The floor was a distant memory, buried under unopened textbooks, papers, and miscellaneous other items. The only semi-clean spot in the entire room was the boy's bed, and even that was questionable. While it was made (sort of) the sheets were rumpled and mussed, and candy wrappers covered the unfortunate piece of furniture. The source of this disaster was sleeping peacefully atop the sheets, oblivious to his mom's shock. Until she began yelling. "RETSU!" she bellowed. "UP! NOW!"

"What?" came the sleepy response. He started to sit up, but was met with a deadly glare from his mother. He gulped, scanning his room. Oh yeah. He'd forgotten to pick up after himself after his 'studying,' a process which usually involved he and his friends eating a ridiculous amount of junk food, making a mess, and getting no real work done. "Look, I can ex-"

"Don't even try, young man!" she interrupted icily. "Laziness is one thing, but this? How is this even possible? How could you _possibly_ manage to do this in two days? Do you try to make my life harder?"

"No, I just-"

"Get dressed," she cut him off, her look silencing any further protest. "You're now late for school. When you get home, you're cleaning this. If it's not absolutely _spotless_ by the time you go to sleep tonight, you're brother is going to be an only child!" And with that, she stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her with a satisfying crash. Retsu cringed.

"Geez," the fifteen-year-old sighed as he grabbed a clean uniform out of his closet. The thin silver bracelets around his wrists that he never took off jingled pleasantly. "She didn't even try to listen. Why'd I have to get a clean freak for a mom?" He pulled on the black pants and white button-up shirt that made up the Namimori Middle uniform, and headed for his door, grabbing the last piece of said uniform, a plain blue tie, on his way out. Before he could reach his destination, however, he tripped over an empty soda bottle, falling back to land on his butt. Retsu looked at the treacherous drink container in dismay. "Although, she might just have a point about the mess. I should probably clean up a little. Besides, she said she was gonna kill me otherwise, and she might actually do it this time."

He picked up the bottle. "At least you were empty," he mused, before tossing it towards the empty trash can by his door, ironically the only part of the room not covered in junk. It missed. Whatever. He looked over at his clock, and swore at the time he saw. "Dammit, I'm gonna be late!" he exclaimed, wrenching open his door and practically falling down the stairs in his hurry to get out of the house.

"Language!" his mother yelled from the kitchen, still miffed about the state of her youngest son's room.

"My bad," Retsu called back as he tried to pull on his shoes and grab his bag at the same time. Not an easy task, but he managed it, and was out the door before his mother could comment on his lack of manners. The woman, however, didn't seem to notice, as she was engrossed with sorting through the mail. One particular envelope caught her interest, and she held it up curiously.

"Home...tutor?"

**_~OS~_**

The boy made it to school in record time, passing through the gates just as the bell signaling the beginning of the day rang. He leaned his head against the shoe lockers, enjoying the feel of the cool metal against his sweaty forehead. He'd run all the way to school, and was panting.

"You look like shit," remarked a voice from behind him.

"Shut up, Amatsu," Retsu growled at his friend without turning. "You're no lady killer either."

"Well, then!" Amatsu feigned indignation. "That's cruel, even for you."

The smaller boy pushed himself off the lockers reluctantly, removing his sneakers in favor of the school's white indoor shoes. He ran a hand through his snowy white hair before turning to give the other teen a withering look, weariness apparent in his violet eyes. "You'll get over it."

Ignoring the his friends squawks of protest, he walked away, heading for their classroom. After a moments sulking, Amatsu followed, muttering obscenities about him under his breath. It was a normal thing in the morning. He reached the classroom door, and was about to grab the handle and slide it open when he heard a loud crash, and the sound of the door being opened from the other side. He just barely managed to avoid getting run over by the soccer player that scrambled out seconds later.

"Wah, Retsu-kun, I'm sorry!" Kazuki exclaimed without stopping in his mad sprint. He was halfway down the hall before the person chasing him burst out of the classroom, eyes trained on the blond figure running away.

"Kazuki Shin, you bastard!" Jun cried, already in pursuit of the other athlete. He was dripping wet, and looked ready to kill him. They were out of sight before Retsu and Amatsu even had time to ask what had happened. A muffled yell could be heard from around the corner, and the sounds of a fight broke out. Of course Jun had caught him; he was a track runner. A sprinter in fact. Kazuki was fast, but Jun was faster. The two boys re-emerged from behind the corner, accompanied by the soccer player's complaints and cries of pain. The black haired sprinter was dragging the other boy by his ponytail, blue eyes flashing dangerously.

"It was an accident, Jun-chan, I swear!" Kazuki yelled. Jun ignored him. Retsu watched with a mixture of amusement and mild curiosity. The two were always fighting, but it was also always fun to watch. "C'mon, my hair's gonna fall off if you don't let go soon."

"And what a shame that would be," Jun snapped.

"What happened?" Amatsu intervened just in front of their classroom, watching Kazuki's failed attempts at escape with pity.

"This _moron_ was going to use a bucket of water for something in science class later," the taller boy replied irritably, shooting a glare at his companion. "I was heading into the classroom, and he was playing with the bucket. One of his friends then proceeded to trip him, and the water ended up on me," he pointed to himself. "As you can see."

Jun's usually curly black hair was plastered to his face, and water dribbled down from the tips. His shirt was entirely soaked, and almost see-through, but his pants had thankfully remained dry. Unknown to three of the boys, most of the girls were staring through the open door with glee. A few were even drooling. Amatsu, however, always the observant one, noticed, and quickly stepped in front of his handsome friend, shielding him. Jun looked at him questioningly, then past him at the girls. He blanched, then turned an interesting shade of red.

"I-I gotta go home and change," he stammered. "Tell the teacher I'll be back by lunch." He turned to leave, but almost immediately ran into said man.

"Takahiro Jun," the older man sneered. Jun glared back, but said nothing. "This is school. If you're going to have a wet T-shirt contest, please refrain from doing so here."

Jun opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by Retsu, who had been quietly observing the whole scene up until now. "Sensei, it was an accident. Kazuki-kun accidentally spilled the water for his science demonstration on Jun-san just now."

"I see," he replied, not convinced. Retsu hated the man so much. He thought he could do whatever he wanted just because he was a teacher. "Well, either way, students aren't allowed to leave school early without a signed note from a parent."

"But-" Jun started, but was quickly cut off.

"It's fine, Jun-chan," Kazuki interrupted cheerfully. "I've got my jersey for today's game in my bag. You can just wear that."

The sprinter looked at him warily, trying to decide which would be worse: having to go through the day with a wet shirt, or actually accept help from the idiot who'd gotten him in this situation in the first place. Amatsu answered for him.

"Thanks, Kazuki-kun!" he said. Retsu, the quieter of the two, nodded.

"I'll go get it, then." The soccer player ran into the classroom, returning moments later with the blue and white jersey worn by the Namimori soccer team. He held it out to the taller teen. "Here."

Jun accepted it reluctantly, and headed off to the boy's locker room to change. The three remaining boys looked at each other, then shrugged.

"We should probably go inside now, I guess," Retsu suggested. His friends agreed.

Jun returned later, receiving a glare from the teacher and questioning glances from the few students who hadn't been in the classroom to witness the scene earlier, but was otherwise let off the hook. School continued like normal after that. Retsu got a thirty-one on his math quiz, and a twenty-seven on a test in Japanese class. Yep, normal. He was also the second to last to be picked for a team in gym, right before a kid with a broken arm. Also normal.

And his life was going to continue like that. The athletic ones, like Kazuki or Jun, and the smart ones, like Amatsu, would go on to become something great and amazing and interesting. People like him, no, _failures_ like Akimura Retsu would fall by the wayside, hidden in their shadows. Retsu was never going to be special, never going to hold a position of any importance or interest.

...Or, at least, that's what was supposed to happen.

**_~OS~_**

"I'm home!" Retsu called as he entered his house, kicking off his shoes.

"Oh, good," his mother's voice came from the kitchen. She sounded happy, and excited, and well..._bubbly_. The boy was immediately on his guard. His mother was never bubbly. Something was up, and he had a feeling he wouldn't like it. "Come in here, would you?"

Had he known then what would happen as soon as he walked into the room, he probably would have run away right then and there. Then again, maybe he wouldn't have. Who knows? Regardless, his life was about to change, drastically and eternally. And it all happened as soon as he took his first step into the room, and saw the person sitting at the table.

It was a baby! Retsu was blown away. The tiny kid was dressed in a two piece black suit, an orange dress shirt, and a black fedora rested on his head. Curled around his face were two thin sideburns, and on the hat's brim lay some sort of green lizard, maybe a chameleon. The baby's black eyes bored into the teen, studying him carefully.

"So it's you?" he asked suddenly. Retsu jumped.

"W-what?" the white haired teen stuttered.

"It's you who I'm tutoring."

"Tutoring?"

The baby sighed. "And it looks like you'll really need that tutoring too. You're not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?"

That got the boy. He glared at the kid in indignation. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I don't _think_ I'm anyone," was the cryptic response. "I _know _that I'm your new home tutor, Akimura Retsu. My name is Reborn."

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**Alright, chapter one is done! Yes!**

**For the record, I kind of based Retsu off of Eyes Rutherford from Spiral (which, by the way, I also don't own, just in case I need to put that in there). Not really, but a little. Just imagine Eyes with slightly shorter, messier hair, purple eyes, tanner skin, and a lot more spazzy. Yeah, I know they're really not that similar, but I just wanted to give you an idea of what the main character looks like. **

**I don't think there's anything else, so...PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Tutor

**Disclaimer: I don't own this! Obviously! **

**Alright, chapter 6 for LMR is taking longer than I thought, so I'm going to distract myself with this, hoping it gets the ideas flowing. Plus, I want to get a few chapters of this out as fast as I can. I'm sorry, I really am trying! Anyways, I'll move on.**

**blacklightningwolf:**** I'm so glad you liked it! I'm so happy I could cry...Wait, what?**

**dotYui: You're the first to review again! I love you! I'm glad that you like it. I know it's a little different from the other one, but, hey, I wanted to try it out. Let's just sit back and watch where it goes. Or, you do that, at least. I actually have to write it. This might get ugly...**

**Onwards, to chapter 2!**

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Our Sky

Chapter 2: Tutor

"You're kidding, right?" was all Retsu could think of to say. What else could he do? There was a delusional three-year-old in front of him claiming to be his new home tutor. It really doesn't get much weirder than that. Even his dreams weren't this bad...

That was it! This was all a dream. He sighed in relief, pinching himself. He waited for the feeling of himself waking up, with his alarm clock blaring, sunlight shining through the window, and his mom yelling from downstairs.

Nothing happened.

_This isn't happening,_ he told himself. He didn't think he said it out loud. Until the baby responded.

"Oh, it's happening," the kid, Reborn, said in a high-pitched, childish voice. "You're just in denial. It's a common syndrome for this situation. I was expecting a more interesting one though." He sounded genuinely disappointed.

"This can't possibly be real," Retsu concluded, ignoring the others previous comment. Reborn frowned.

"I don't like to be ignored," he warned.

"No way," the teen kept right on ignoring him, and would have probably continued to do so had he not been abruptly kicked in the face by the tiny child. He was knocked to the ground.

"You're just like Tsuna," Reborn sighed. "Nothing except bodily harm can get through to you."

"What the hell was that for, midget?" Retsu cried, immediately receiving another blow, this one to his stomach. He doubled over in pain.

"You should learn to chose your battles more carefully," his new tutor advised. "Rebellion can be good at times, but not now."

"Well, it's nice to see you two getting along so well," Retsu's mother said happily. "I think I'll leave you alone for a while, give you a chance to get to know each other."

"Thank you, Mama," Reborn nodded.

"So cute! And polite too!" The woman gave her fallen son a critical look. "Unlike you. How come this child's manners are better than yours? And what have I told you about swearing in the house?"

"Don't worry, I'll fix that first," the baby assured. 'Mama' nodded, and left the room. The teen lying on the floor pushed himself up into a sitting position. He glared at the kid.

"Fix my language?" Retsu snorted. "Good luck with that."

"Don't talk back," Reborn ordered, jumping up onto his shoulder and delivering a quick punch to the boy's cheek. "Respect your tutor and your mother."

"I never accepted you as my tutor!" Retsu cried. "I don't need one!"

"I beg to differ," the baby said, pulling an envelope out of seemingly nowhere.

"My report card! How the hell did you get that?" His complaint was met with another kick from the tiny male in front of him, who then went back to examining the grades.

"Don't swear," reminded the tutor absently. "Akimura Retsu. English grade for last year was a 35. Math was a 28. Japanese-"

"Don't just read that out loud!" Restu was horrified. Why was this happening to him? He made a grab for the paper, but Reborn just jumped out of the way, causing the already injured boy to fall onto the hard wood floor empty handed.

"Athletic ability is next to none. Intelligence is below average," the baby observed. "Really, you are just like Tsuna. Why do I always get stuck with the losers?"

"Loser?" the teen cried, before remembering the first part of the comment. "That Tsuna person, who are they? You mentioned them before."

"He, like yourself, was a failure to begin with," Reborn said. "But thanks to my masterful training, he is now the Tenth boss of the esteemed Vongola family."

"So you're basically just using him as a way to praise yourself," Retsu deadpanned. "And the Vongola family? What are they, some sort of circus?"

"Hardly," the kid answered with equal contempt. "They are a very powerful Italian mafia, which you will someday inherit." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added in, "If you don't die first."

The teen looked at him with a mix of disbelief, indignation, and fear. "The mafia?" he repeated disbelievingly.

"The mafia," Reborn affirmed.

"That's probably the biggest load of bull I've ever heard," Retsu responded. This was just insane. A child tutor he could almost accept. He wasn't happy about it, but at least it was sort of believable. Maybe the baby was one of those genius kids or something. But the mafia? Really? There was just no way.

Reborn frowned at the boy's response. "I know it's not very believable-"

"You bet its not!"

"But," he continued irritably. "It's true. What you choose to do about it is irrelevant. You can either take it like a man and try and listen, or you can act like a little kid and sulk about it."

Before the boy could respond, his mother walked back into the room with a stormy look. "Don't think this gets you out of cleaning your room, young man," she said. "As soon as you finish here, you'd better get right on that. Reborn-chan is going to be staying in _your_ room, and as it is now, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy to stay in there."

"What-"

"He'll get right on that, Mama," the child cut his student off quickly. He grabbed one of Retsu's ears and began dragging him towards the stairs, ignoring his cries of pain and loud protests. The white haired teen was dragged unceremoniously up the stairs, causing even more injuries to be added to his new-found collection of bruises. When Reborn finally stopped, Retsu slumped to the ground, in too much pain to even complain anymore. The baby surveyed the room, then said, "Wow. This really is a mess."

"It's not that bad," the boy shrugged it off, struggling to his feet. "I'll just throw it all back into the closet or under the bed. It'll take two seconds."

"That won't do," Reborn, murmured to himself, reaching for the lizard on top of his hat. "You need to do these things all the way. You need to do them with your dying will."

"My dying will? C'mon, Reborn, it's cleaning my room," he turned to look at his strange new tutor, and found himself looking straight down the barrel of a small green pistol. "W-what are you doing! I'm sorry, alright?"

"Clean with your dying will, Retsu," the kid said, then fired. Even though he'd tried to run away, the bullet still hit the teen in the center of his forehead. His eyes widened.

_Why me? Why did this happen?_ Retsu thought, feeling his life slowly ebbing away as he hit the floor. _Am I really going to die for something as stupid as this? Because I didn't clean my room? I don't want that. If I could go back, I'd probably do it. To die for something like this... To die for something so stupid, it's...it's, _unaccetable!

Something clicked into place within him, something long ignored and forgotten. Warmth flooded through his body. On his forehead, right where he'd been shot, a small orange flame flickered to life. That flame grew bigger, until it was a bright flare, roaring atop his head. His eyes were wide, and angry. All of his clothes, except for his underwear, had been ripped off, so he was now standing in the hallway of his house half-naked.

"RE-BORN!" he bellowed, turning to his room. "I'll clean this room with my dying will!"

Quicker than he ever would have thought was possible for him, Retsu charged into his room. He cleaned like someone who was possessed. In a matter of minutes, the clothes were either hung up neatly in the closet or tossed into a hamper in the corner. The trash bin was full, almost overflowing, and the bed was neatly made. There wasn't a single candy bar or shirt littering the floor.

"Clean, clean, clean..." that had been Retsu's mantra for the last few minutes, but as soon as the room was sufficiently organized, it began to slow and fade, eventually stopping altogether. The flame dissipated, leaving a very confused and very normal Retsu behind. Reborn clicked a button on a small green stopwatch, then looked at the time.

"4 minutes, 15 seconds," he read off. "Not bad for your first time in dying will mode."

"What happened?" the teen panicked. He looked down at his now-exposed skin and blushed scarlet. "Where are my clothes? What did you do to me?"

"Who knows," was the cryptic response.

"_What?_"

"Simply put, you just died, then came back to life with the dying will bullet because of your regrets."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Retsu cried, searching frantically for a new pair of pants.

"Oh well," Reborn shrugged. His lips curved upwards into a small smirk.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing," the baby dismissed the question, instead moving to hop onto Retsu's newly cleaned desk.

_I had a desk?_ Retsu wondered offhandedly, before turning his attention back to his tutor.

"Retsu, stop being so loud!" his mother called angrily from downstairs. The boy flopped down onto his bed with a unintelligible response. He was asleep almost instantly, finally crashing after his stressful, enlightening day. Reborn watched his new pupil, still smirking.

"Welcome to the family," the baby murmured. "Vongola Undicesimo."

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**Alright, I looked up eleventh in an English-Italian translator, and undicesimo is what I got. I think it's right, considering that when I looked up tenth it came up as decimo, Tsuna's title. So I'm just gonna go with it. If you don't think it's right though, and you know what it is, please say so in a review! Until next time!**


	3. Welcome!

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR, and never will. Ever.**

**Alright, here's chapter 3. It's later than I wanted it to be because the internet in my house shut down for the second half of the week, so I was left with no way to post this. The delay gave me a lot of time to write though. Does that make it any better? ...Yeah, didn't think so. Uh, moving on, it's time for reviews!**

**dotYui: Yes, Retsu grade's are better than Tsuna's. I can't decide if I really want him to be that dense, or if he just doesn't feel like working harder. Maybe a little of both. *shrugs* I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. And _of course_ Tsuna's going to show up! Actually, I have something pretty interesting (I think) planned for him, and for his guardians. You might just have to wait a little for it.**

**Echan1263:**** I started reading your story, and I like it! I just hope I don't steal any of your future ideas. Sorry in advance, just in case. :p**

**angelxgirlx21:**** I'm going to explain how he's related this chapter. It just kind of didn't fit in last chapter. It tried to put it in, I swear!**

**It always feels nice to write responses. Don't know why, don't really care. I'm just weird like that.**

**Onwards, to the chapter!**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 3: Welcome! The First Family Member!

Retsu awoke slowly, blinking the sleep out of his eyes lazily. He glanced at the alarm clock beside his bed. 6:10. Damn. If he went back to sleep now, he wouldn't wake up again in time. He groaned quietly in annoyance, cursing his bad waking up habits, and rolled over to face his open window, figuring that he may as well watch the sun rise if he was up. When he'd first started occasionally waking up at this time, he'd noticed that the sun was rising just outside his window.

Retsu loved sunrise. It was such a peaceful time, with only the occasional bird's song breaking the silence. The sun was dyed in light pinks, oranges, yellows, and blues, all mixed together haphazardly in a mix that not even the greatest artists could ever truly duplicate. If only it wasn't so damn early! He looked up at his window, expecting to see the navy half light of early morning. Instead, he just barely caught a glimpse of a small black shoe falling on him before it hit, right in between the eyes. He was dazed for a minute, trying to figure out what had happened. Why were shoes falling from the sky? And midget shoes too. The only person he'd ever met who wore shoes so small was...

"Reborn!" he cried indignantly, rubbing the the injured place. "What was that for?!?"

"Watching you sleep is boring," the baby replied calmly, as if this was the most normal thing in the world. Which, for him, it might have been.

"What kind of reason is that?"

"A hitman doesn't need reasons."

"You're not a hitman!"

"Yes I am. And you will be. If you don't die first."

"You're crazy!"

"Maybe so, but I'm also a hitman."

Retsu dropped his head into his hands wearily, already seeing that nothing he said was going to get through to the kid. "Look," he started. "Let's pretend I believe you, which I don't, trust me, why me?"

"A logical question," Reborn observed. "How refreshing. Anyways, I think this letter will explain it better than I ever could." He held out an unopened white envelope.

"You had a letter this whole time?" the white haired teen exclaimed. "Why didn't you give it to me earlier?"

"You didn't ask."

"You, but, I, and...Uh, never mind." Retsu sighed in defeat, grabbing the letter. He tore open the envelope, and unfolded the paper within. It was hand written, which surprised the boy. "No one writes letters by hand anymore," he grumbled before beginning to read.

_Dear Retsu,_

_I know this is sudden, and let me say I'm sorry in advance. What Reborn is about to put you through will most likely be hell. I know it was for me. I'd like to say it'll be worth it, but in all honesty, that's a decision you have to make for yourself. If you do well, you'll find true, loyal friends who will stick by you through everything, adventure, and yes, the most infamous mafia family in the world. The family's actually pretty nice, though you might not think that at first glance. _

_But, if you chose to go down a different, darker path...I just hope it never comes to that. Either way, what you make of this situation is up to you. All I'm going to say is to live your life without regrets. Life's way to short for what if's, you know? I wish you good luck._

_P.S.: Take it from me, no matter what else you can say about him, Reborn is crazy. Never forget that. DO NOT make him mad. Ever._

_I wish you well,_

_Sawada Tsunayoshi, Vongola Decimo_

"T-this guy's selling me out!" Retsu cried after reading the letter three times, fruitlessly hoping that the words would somehow change. "What the hell!"

Reborn, who had been strangely still until then, kicked the upset teen in the stomach, effectively silencing him. Upon receiving a half-accusing, half-questioning glare, he simply said, "No swearing."

"Aren't there any other heirs?" the boy asked once he'd regained his breath.

"Yes."

"So make one of them take the position! Don't just come in and ruin random people's lives!"

"It's not random."

"Oh yes it is! I have nothing to do with the mafia. My dad died! My mom's a lawyer! Are you suggesting she's a defendant for the mafia? 'Cause I've been to her work and let me tell you-"

"Will you shut up?" Reborn cut in, tiring of the rant. "Let me explain it _slowly_. Your dad was Italian, no?"

"Y-yeah."

"From what we can tell, your father's side of the family were direct descendants of Vongola Ottavo, and your mother's side were descendants of Vongola Primo. That heritage actually puts you quite high on the list for successor, should I deem you eligible."

"I'm in junior high!"

"So was Tsuna when he started training."

"I don't care!" Retsu exclaimed. "Get someone else to do this! I'm sure there are others just dying to be the boss of such a great family. If they want it, they can have it, because I want no part in any of this!"

He dashed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. This drew an angry, "It's 6:30 in the morning! Keep it down!" from his mother's room. He didn't care. Luckily, he'd fallen asleep in his uniform last night, so he just grabbed his school bag and left. He had an extra toothbrush in his bag, so he'd just brush his teeth when he got to school. Something told him that when one was making a dramatic exit from one's house, stopping in the bathroom for at least five minutes to change and wash up wasn't a good idea.

**_~OS~_**

Retsu kept running for at least a block before finally stopping, panting hard. He hated running, but it was that or listen to more of Reborn's delusional bullshit, and that was _not_ what he needed right now. When his breathing finally calmed, he raised his head and looked around, trying to figure out what to do for the next hour and a half before school. He was in the above-ground shopping center, surrounded by stores on both sides, both open and not. The crowd was pretty small right now, but in a little more than two hours, it would most definitely be bustling with life. He began walking, looking for something interesting.

"Hey, Retsu, that you?" a voice called from over his shoulder. The boy turned and saw a blond head bobbing through the crowd, heading towards him. Kazuki reached him quickly, green eyes both happy and somewhat confused. "What are you doing here so early? Doesn't your mom usually have to literally drag you out of bed?"

"I just needed some fresh air," Retsu lied. "How about you?"

"Helping out my dad open the store." He pointed over his shoulder at a sports equipment store just behind the pair. "I do every day."

"Cool. How's soccer-" the violet eyed boy was cut off by a shrill scream from an alley a few feet away. Both teen's heads turned towards it at the time. Kazuki took off running immediately, Retsu following right after. They reached it in seconds, and were greeted by the sight of a few giant boys, all in Namimori uniform, surrounding a girl, also in uniform. One of the thugs had a hand around the girl's wrist, and she looked terrified.

"Let go!" she cried, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. The thug just leered at her. His buddies laughed.

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to spend some quality time with us," he said, and was leaning in closer to the girl, when he felt pressure on his arm, and a sudden feeling of weightlessness. The boy crashed into the ground hard, instantly unconscious. Kazuki released his grip on the others wrist and cracked his knuckles menacingly. His happy smile was still intact, but somehow, that just made him seem more menacing.

"You know," he started, taking a step closer to the giant's equally large friends. They seemed to dwarf the lean boy, but that didn't seem to bother the soccer player. "It's guys like you who give our school a bad name. What would you have done if someone other than us had found you?"

"Jiro?" Henchmen A (as he will now be called) said, trying to wake his sleeping friend and completely ignoring the question.

"He probably won't be waking up for at least another hour, maybe more," the blond informed him, still stepping closer. "Sorry." He didn't sound the least bit sorry.

Retsu watched this whole scene with awe. He'd never seen Kazuki like this before. It was kind of scary, but strangely reassuring at the same time. The teen was planning on just watching his friend take care of the problem, but that was before his tutor showed up, perching on his head precariously.

"Don't just stand there," the baby reprimanded, aiming for Retsu's forehead carefully. "A boss always saves those in need of help." And with that, he shot. It hit the boy squarely, knocking him off his feet. All he could think was that he should have saved the girl, should have helped Kazuki, shouldn't have just stood there. _If only I had a second chance,_ were his last thoughts. Or, at least, they should have been.

For he'd been hit with a special dying will bullet, a specialty of the Vongola family, so he'd been resurrected because of his 'regrets in life' as Reborn put it. A flame sparked into life over his forehead, growing larger and larger. Retsu pushed himself off the ground, his clothes, except for his boxers, tearing off as he stood.

"REBORN!" he cried, startling both the thugs and Kazuki. "I'll save the girl with my dying will!"

He dashed in between two of the henchmen, knocking both out with a quick punch to the chin, then sweeping their legs out from under them with a kick for good measure. Kazuki recovered quickly, grinning madly. "Can't let you have all the fun, can I?" he asked, leaping towards Henchman A.

Needless to say, with both boys fighting, the whole thing was over quickly. The giants lay on the ground, either groaning or just knocked out. The pair hadn't even been scratched, and they now stood right in the center of all the fallen delinquents. The girl had run away sometime during the fight.

"So much for grateful," the blond commented with a small frown, looking at where she'd once been. "Then again, can't say I really blame her. After all, what if we'd lost?" With that said, he turned back to his friend. "You were awesome. What'd you do?"

Retsu was, by now, back to normal, and feeling very self-conscious in nothing but his boxers. "I don't know," he admitted, searching around for his clothes. Finding nothing but scraps of cloth, he groaned, then jumped when he felt something hit him. He turned, and found a pile of clothes lying at his feet. A uniform!

"Call it a gift," Reborn said from his position next to the boy, having jumped off his head after shooting him. "It's a one time thing, so learn from this experience."

"Whatever," was the muffled response as the baby's student pulled the shirt over his head, seeing as it was already buttoned.

"How cute," Kazuki said, picking Reborn up. "Is this your little brother?"

"No!" Retsu denied hurridly. "He's-"

"His tutor," Reborn finished, knowing full well that the boy had been about to say something like cousin or family friend's kid. "And a hitman."

"I see," the soccer player nodded solemnly. "Very interesting."

"You can be one too."

"What?" Kazuki and Retsu asked at the same time.

"Yes. Retsu's going to be a mafia boss. You can be a member of his family. He could use someone like you," Reborn explained.

"Reborn!" Retsu cried.

"Sweet!" Kazuki exclaimed.

"Y-you're kidding right?" the other teen asked his friend worridly. "You know he's not joking."

"Who cares?" was the flippant response. "Either way, it sounds awesome, _boss_." He added the last part teasingly.

"Asshole." Retsu's comment was met by a punch to the face from Reborn.

"No swearing."

* * *

**Challenge- Just a little test. You don't have to do it, but I thought I'd see what you guys thought about it. Anyways the question is:**

_**What is Kazuki the guardian of?**_

**Just write what you think the answer is in a review, with the question in front, then a dash.**

**ex. What is Kazuki the guardian of?-_____**

**You guys got it? I'll try and do this every time I introduce a new family member and have given a little info on them.**


	4. Beach Vacation 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. All rights belong to Amano Akira and Shonen Jump! If I owned it...bad things would happen.**

**Here's chapter four, because I'm having writers block on the other fic. I hate writer's block, and it always comes to me around my seventh chapter or so, no matter what I'm writing. Let's cross our fingers and hope that doesn't happen here!**

**As for the answer to my question earlier (What is Kazuki the guardian of?), only one of you actually got it right. And that was...**

**dotYui! Good for you! She guessed that he was sun, which he is. Echan1263 and monochromez both get partial credit, because they said that he _could_ be either the sun or something else. Reborn22 had a really good guess, as, yes, he could be rain, because he is a lot like Yamamoto. In fact, he's probably more like Yamamoto than Ryohei, but I have someone special planned for rain. I'm never going to hide who's what guardian after I've introduced them into the family, even though the characters in the story will probably act surprised. It just isn't a very mysterious thing in this story. I've got other mysterious things to worry about. Anyways, on to responses!**

**monochromez: Yeah, I think they have so much potential, because you can make the characters however you want! And you get to develop a completely new plot! It's so much fun! I kind of just chose a random boss, and I like Ottavo, and not a lot's known about her at the moment, so why not, right? Yes, Tsuna and everyone else will be involved in a later chapter. How much later, I don't know.**

**Echan1263:**** You don't plan out a lot of your story? Me neither. I just kind of write what comes to me. *shrugs* Whatever works, right? I'm kind of wondering where you pulled cloud guardian out of, knowing Hibari. It's a cool idea though, and it gives me ideas...**

**Reborn22:**** I'm so glad you find it funny. I labeled the story humor, but, knowing my poor attempts at being funny, I was kind of wondering how that would go over. Knowing that ****_someone_ likes it relieves me.**

**dotYui:**** Yes, his ancestor was Vongola Primo. I'm trying to figure out how he's related to Tsuna, but it's probably going to be something pretty distant. Either way, though, they're still related!**

**On with the story!**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 4: Beach Vacation 1: Scavenger Hunt

The sun was shining brightly over the beach, making the already bright sand sparkle. The shining sea reflected the sun's rays, it's waves lapping the shore invitingly. All of this beautiful scenery was lost on our hero though, as he was too busy staring at the scene before him and wondering how anything even remotely like this could have possibly happened.

_Flashback_

"_So, what are you doing over summer break?" Kazuki asked Retsu as they walked home from school. Tomorrow was their last day, and they were highly anticipating the day that school would be over._

"_Nothing important, I think," was the shorter boy's noncommittal response. His summer's usually consisted of lying around on the couch doing nothing, or hanging out with Amatsu. He's only met Kazuki and Jun this year. Before that, Amatsu had been his one and only friend. It was pathetic to think about._

"_Why don't you come to the beach with me and Jun?"_

_Retsu stopped. The soccer player kept walking, not realizing his friend had just ceased to follow. When he finally did notice, he sent the other boy a questioning glance from his position a few feet away. "A-are you serious?" Retsu stammered._

"_Eh?"_

"_Are you serious?"_

"_Of course," Kazuki was genuinely puzzled by his friends reaction. It was a pretty simple question. "If you don't want to-"_

"_No! No!" Retsu cut him off, waving his arms frantically. "I want to go! I just," he looked at his feet in embarrassment. "I just have never been invited anywhere like that."_

_The soccer player's eyes widened, but he said nothing. Kazuki re-adjusted his bag on his shoulder, and began walking again. "If you don't start walking, I'll leave you behind," he called over his shoulder. _

_End Flashback_

Retsu had been allowed to go, so early the morning of the first day of vacation, he, Kazuki, and Jun had left for a few relaxing days at the local beach. Amatsu had been invited, but he hadn't been able to go. He would be away with his extended family for the entire vacation, and had left for Hokkaido on the same morning as his three friends. "Do _not_ get in any trouble when I'm not there," he had told them. "I like to be there when you embarrass yourselves in public." This statement had been met by many complaints and thrown books.

The trip had been uneventful, with the exception of Kazuki's dad being pulled over and given a ticket for speeding. Retsu thought the cop just wanted to pull someone over, as the car had been going maybe five miles over the speed limit, but whatever. Either way, they'd arrived at the beach safely and ready to have fun. And that's when the trouble had begun.

Kazuki had spotted a crowd of people gathered at the far side of the beach, so he'd of course just had to drag Retsu and Jun over to check it out. There, they'd found out that today was the beach's annual extreme scavenger hunt. Jun, being the competitive person he was, and Kazuki, being himself, had felt the need to enter. Apparently, you needed a team of three, so guess where Retsu was right now.

You got it. Holding the map to beach and the list of things they'd need to gather, wearing a red headband, and completely miserable.

"Guys, is this really necessary?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"C'mon, Retsu, where's your spirit of adventure?" the soccer player teased, practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Screw adventure," Jun said. "I just want to win."

Retsu sighed, looking down at the list with dismay. "But look at some of the stuff on here," he complained. "It's our first day, so we won't even know where to find it. I mean, a bottle of water from the Lucky Kitten Cafe? Where the hell is that, and more importantly, what kind of _name _is that?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," the his companions answered at the same time. Jun glared at the blond.

"That was my line."

"Didn't see your name on it."

"That makes no sense! How can there be a name on words?"

"If there's no name, then how can it be yours?"

The bickering continued right up until the announcer said that they should all move to the starting line. There were five other teams, and a fairly good sized crowd watching. Kazuki's parents were in there somewhere, but Retsu couldn't see them. He scanned the crowd, and froze when his eyes landed on a small child in the front row. A child wearing a black suit and a matching fedora with a green lizard sunbathing on top.

"R-Reborn!" the teen cried before he could help himself. "What are you doing here?!?"

"Eh?" Kazuki followed Retsu's gaze to the baby, then grinned. "Hey, kid! What's up!"

"What are you guys doing?" Jun asked. "You're holding up the race!" True enough, the announcer and other teams were watching the four with mixtures of annoyance and amusement. Retsu blushed, wishing that the sand would open up and swallow him. Kazuki just waved at the other contestants sheepishly, smiling blindingly, while he used his other hand to pick up Reborn and put him on his shoulder.

"Sorry about that," he said, turning to the announcer. "Hey, announcer-dude, can this guy be on our team too? He's my little brother, and I gotta watch him."

"U-um," the announcer stuttered, obviously not sure what to do in this situation.

"Just let them take him," one of the men on another team said, exasperated. "What's a baby going to do, anyway? Worst that could happen is that he'll slow them down."

_You have no idea what he's really like!_ Retsu cried in his head, but was silent. Maybe Reborn really could help.

"I guess, if it's okay with the other teams." The announcer looked relieved that someone had made the decision for him. The other contestants nodded with varying degrees of interest, so it was allowed. The announcer counted down from five, then blew his whistle. And they were off!

The first few items were easy. A rock from the beach, a blue shell, a few flowers. But soon, they began to get harder. Kazuki was running with Reborn still on his shoulders, so one of his hands was never free. As such, it was decided that he'd hold the map. Bad move.

Almost immediately after they'd started, Kazuki had found a small blue shell. He'd put the map on the ground to pick up the item, but the wind had chosen that moment to start blowing. Long story short, the map was probably five feet under the sea by now. So now they had to rely on pure instinct and luck to get around. They were doomed.

"The next thing's a leaf from the tree on top of that cliff," Retsu read off, pointing at a cliff in front of them. There was a single tree standing proud, leaves blowing in the wind. "That's easy enough."

"That's cause you're not the one who has to go get it," Jun snorted, running off. He'd been charged with getting things that were hard to get, or that took them out of their path. He sprinted up a path in the side of the rock formation, astounding Retsu with his seemingly effortless speed.

"I wish I could run like that," he breathed, before what he'd just said, and who he'd just said it in front of. "I'm kidding," the boy cried, not liking the mischievous look on his tutor's face.

"I don't think you are," Reborn said. Kazuki laughed.

"I'll train with you if you want," the soccer player offered. "I've got to stay in shape over the summer too."

"We might just take you up on that," Reborn said.

"Don't just make decisions like that on your own!" his student cried. He would have continued too, had he not heard a shout from above. He looked up just in time to see Jun trip on a narrow part in the path.

The sprinter frantically tried to regain his balance, but to no avail. He fell onto the path edge, rolling down so that he was about to fall off. In a moment of pure instinct to survive, he grabbed a root hanging just under the edge. It bent dramatically, but somehow held. But it wouldn't continue to do so. Jun could already hear it splintering and creaking, threatening to break.

Retsu and Kazuki watched this whole scene with horror. Their friend was dangling at least a story and a half off the ground, with his only means of survival quickly breaking.

"JUN!" they cried in unison. Reborn raised his hand to his hat and grabbed the lizard resting there. It shimmered for a moment, shifting with a myriad of colors. It settled on the shape of a small green pistol.

"A boss always saves his subordinates," the baby said, unheard by the boy in front of him. He took aim carefully, and shot a bullet right into the back of the boy's head. "Now prove that you have what it takes."


	5. Beach Vacation 2

**Disclaimer: I think we all know that I don't own this, so I think I'm going to stop putting this every chapter. Maybe every fifth chapter or something. Either way, for now: I DON'T OWN THIS!**

**I had to take my mid-term for math yesterday, and I'm sure I failed! I don't like algebra. It requires thinking, and I'm not good at thinking (unless I'm writing). Either way, maybe I'll post what my grade was in the next chapter if it's not too bad. Which it will be. *sigh* Alright, enough venting. On to the responses. **

**dotYui:**** I kind of just wanted to end on a cliffhanger because I'm evil like that. Also, I needed to have enough material in this chapter, which I wouldn't have had otherwise. But on the bright side, here's a nice, quick update for you, right?**

**Echan1263:**** Yeah, it was a little short, but I needed to save the rest of that so that this chapter wouldn't be really short. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Anyways, your reason was actually pretty cool. I like it! But, unfortunately, I already have all my guardians planned out. I personally think you'll like them. They're all very...unique. In their own special ways. ^^**

**monochromez:**** Oh, yeah, a long review. I love long reviews. They just kind of brighten your day, you know? Kazuki and Jun will probably always be bickering, no matter what chapter it is. That's just how I planned them out. Yes, poor Jun! But I guess I'm the one who wrote it, so I don't have room to complain, do I? Yeah, didn't think so. As for being a subordinate...read on and see.**

**Reborn22:**** Cloud, huh? People seem to really like the idea of someone filling the cloud guardian spot soon, don't they? Not that I can blame you (or anyone else), knowing Hibari. 3**

**For this next chapter, I only have one thing to say: REVIEW! Pleeeeeeeeeeease? It doesn't need to be ridiculously long. I just like hearing what my readers think. I'm not completely immune to suggestions, by the way. I do listen to them, I swear!**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 5: Beach Vacation 2: Fireflies

_Last Time:_

_The sprinter frantically tried to regain his balance, but to no avail. He fell onto the path edge, rolling down so that he was about to fall off. In a moment of pure instinct to survive, he grabbed a root hanging just under the edge. It bent dramatically, but somehow held. But it wouldn't continue to do so. Jun could already hear it splintering and creaking, threatening to break._

_Retsu and Kazuki watched this whole scene with horror. Their friend was dangling at least a story and a half off the ground, with his only means of survival quickly breaking._

"_JUN!" they cried in unison. Reborn raised his hand to his hat and grabbed the lizard resting there. It shimmered for a moment, shifting with a myriad of colors. It settled on the shape of a small green pistol._

"_A boss always saves his subordinates," the baby said, unheard by the boy in front of him. He took aim carefully, and shot a bullet right into the back of the boy's head. "Now prove that you have what it takes."_

**_~OS~_**

The bullet hit Retsu like a truck, knocking him over with it's force. He vaguely heard Kazuki calling his name, but it was drowned out by the numbness seeping through his body. _Not again._ He thought. _Not now. I need to save Jun. I have to. I don't want to die before then. No way. I...I...I won't let this happen!_

Just as it had the other times, a flame ignited on his head, flaring violently to life. Purple eyes closed once, then flew open, angry resolve shining in their amethyst depths. His black swim trunks stayed on, but the blue T-shirt was history, torn off as he stood, crying, "REBORN! I'll save my friend with my dying will!"

"H-hey," Kazuki said tentatively, not a common occurrence for the usually confident soccer player. "Are you okay?" He remembered that something like this had happened once before, during that fight with the guys from their school, but he hadn't paid it much attention back then. Now, though, he had to admit that it was shocking to see his quiet friend so...enthusiastic. About anything.

But Retsu didn't hear him. The other boy was already at the bottom of the path, preparing to dash up. Snapped out of his moment of confusion, Kazuki regained his composure quickly, hurrying to catch up to his speeding friend.

"What're you planning?" he called. The two boys were almost there, but even at the speed they were going, there was a possibility they wouldn't make it in time. The branch was already breaking, cracking right down the middle. Jun clung to it like the dear life it was, eyes fixed desperately on his friends.

"Jun!" Retsu yelled. "Hang on with your dying will!"

"This _is_ my dying will," Jun cried, still sarcastic no matter what the situation was. "Seeing as I very well might die, or at least seriously injure myself, if I-" His comment was cut off by the branch finally giving up and breaking with a loud splintering sound. The teen let out a cry as he fell, dreading the pain that would come upon his impact with the rocks below. He screwed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the worst...

...Only, it never came. A tanned arm shot out just in time, grabbing his wrist. Jun swung wildly for a minute, like some demented pendulum, before finally settling to a stop. He opened his eyes hesitantly, curious as to who he would see. It wasn't who he was expecting, to say the least.

"Kazuki?" The soccer player's teeth were gritted with the effort of holding the other boy up, but he still managed to crack a smile. Retsu hovered over him, looking back and forth between them frantically.

"And that is what we call a slide tackle," he gave a somewhat forced laugh. Jun looked up, and saw Kazuki was indeed in the position that would have resulted from a sliding tackle. "But I guess you wouldn't know that, you being a runner and all."

"I know what a slide tackle is, you ass," Jun challenged, momentarily forgetting exactly where he was. "But without the tackle part, isn't that just a slide?"

"Whatever." The blond was still forcing himself to act normal for Jun's sake, but he could feel his position on the ledge slipping. The other boy wasn't heavy for his size, but he was all muscle, and he was still bigger than Kazuki. His mind was racing, trying to figure a way out of this situation, but nothing was coming up. He had thought the mental struggle wasn't showing on his face, but apparently, Jun could see.

"Drop me," the sprinter ordered.

"What?!"

"You're an idiot," Jun sighed. "We both know you can't handle my weight for much longer, and we don't need both of us getting badly hurt. The drop's not that long. I'll be fine."

"Are you blind?" Kazuki exclaimed. "If you fall from here onto those rocks, you'll kill yourself!"

"Well that's better than us both dying!"

The soccer players eyes widened. "Do you really think that your life is less important than mine?" he asked in barely more than a whisper. This time it was Jun's turn to be shocked.

"I-" the teen's response was cut off by a sinking feeling in his stomach. He felt himself drop a few feet, and realized that Kazuki's entire torso was now hanging off the side.

"Guys!" Retsu grabbed onto the his friend's legs, but to no avail. The boy was still inching closer to the edge with every second, and the smaller teen wasn't strong enough to do anything about it.

"Geez, stupid Retsu," a childish voice said from behind him. "Can't even stay in dying will mode once you think everything's safe." He heard the sound of a trigger being pulled, but did nothing to try and dodge the inevitable bullet. This was mostly due to the fact that even if he assumed he was fast enough to evade a speeding bullet, dodging would mean dropping his friends, and that was one thing he could _not _do. So he let it hit him full force.

The transformation was stunningly quick this time, be it because it was the second bullet today, or because he already knew perfectly well what his regrets would be should he die now. The flame erupted on his forehead, pulsing with heat. He bellowed his usual, "REBORN!" and re-adjusted his hold on Kazuki's feet. Then, with nearly inhuman strength, he began to back up slowly, pulling first the blond over the edge, then Jun.

The process was painfully slow for the two boys in question, but finally, _finally_, they were both safely back on the path. They collapsed the second their feet touched the ground, panting from both the heat and nerves.

"I really thought we were done for," Kazuki admitted through breaths.

"Retsu, what the hell was that?" Jun asked, propping himself up on his elbows to get a better look at his friend. The flame was almost gone, the last traces quickly fading away. The other teen's eyes had returned to their usual, calmer state, and were now looking at his friend curiously.

"Yeah, what happened there?" the blond chimed in.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Retsu said, staring at his feet, suddenly finding them to be quite interesting.

Odds are, the two boys would have continued interrogating their friend had the wind not picked up at that exact moment. A small green leaf floated down on the breeze, drifting to a halt on Jun's nose. He reached up, grabbed it, and held it out to examine.

"This is what that was all about?" he asked finally. Sure enough, the leaf was definitely from the tree on top of the cliff. Retsu couldn't help it; he burst out laughing. Maybe the entire situation had just been too stressful for him to handle, and now he was having hysterics. Hopefully not.

His two friends gave each other a questioning glance. Kazuki shrugged, then joined in. Jun raised an eyebrow, mouth already quirking into a wry smile. Reborn watched with mild amusement as the three boys dissolved into laughter.

**_~OS~_**

Needless to say, thanks to their little detour at the cliff, their team didn't win. In fact, because of Jun's horrible sense of direction, they finished last. The teens were a bit disappointed at first, but that was quickly remedied by a trip to their hotel, and a long soak in the hot springs. Kazuki, now wearing a light blue yukata, sat on the garden steps, humming to himself.

"You have a lovely voice," Jun remarked sarcastically, walking up behind the other boy. Kazuki didn't even turn.

"Nice to see you too."

The sprinter took a seat next to his friend, enjoying the warm night air. They sat like that for a while in comfortable silence, just listening to the wind rustle through the leaves, and waves from a small pond in the corner of the garden lap against the shore. It was Jun who spoke first.

"Listen, um, about today," he began, looking away.

"Hm?" Kazuki responded lazily.

"Well, thanks."

"I didn't really do anything," Kazuki began, but Jun shook his head.

"You guys saved me."

"You would've done the same for us."

"That's the thing," Jun pursed his lips. "I don't know if I could have."

"What do you mean?"

"I just think that I probably wouldn't have been able to, you know, move. I'd probably be petrified, glued to the spot, however you want to say it," he admitted.

This time it was Kazuki's turn to look away. "I-I kind of did exactly that."

"But-"

"Hear me out, okay?" the blond cut him off. "I _was_ petrified. I couldn't think. But Retsu didn't even hesitate. He just ran in there, full speed. It just kind of snapped me out of it, you know?"

"I think so," Jun nodded, and opened his mouth to say something else. He shut it immediately as Retsu walked up to join them, Reborn perched on his shoulder.

"Hey guys," the white haired boy said in greeting. They waved him over. "So, what are we doing tomorrow?" he asked once he was seated.

Kazuki shrugged. "Whatever we want. Maybe go cliff diving..."

"Jackass." Jun retorted. The soccer player laughed. Retsu just shook his head in exasperation.

"So, Jun," Reborn began. The runner looked at him questioningly. "What do you think of the mafia?"

If Retsu had been drinking anything, he probably would have done a spit take. As it was, he had to settle with looking at Reborn in horror, mouth hanging open slightly.

"T-the mafia?" Jun repeated.

"Oh yeah," Kazuki's eyes lit up with realization, and he smiled. "We need more members. Right now it's just me and Retsu."

"Don't include me in this!" the smaller boy exclaimed. His friend just grinned sheepishly.

"You're kidding me, right?" Jun deadpanned. Retsu thought that finally someone normal was seeing things his way... "A club with only you two? That's going to die _fast_. I want in on this, if only to make sure you two don't kill yourselves." ...Maybe not.

"What?!?" the violet eyed teen cried.

"Look, fireflies!" Kazuki exclaimed, completely losing interest in their previous conversation. He was pointing towards the little garden pond, which did indeed have the telltale floating pinpricks of light that symbolized fireflies.

"You have the attention span of an insect," Jun sighed.

"There's so much to pay attention to though!" the soccer player whined. "If I focus on only one thing, I might miss out on something important that's going on around me!"

"You seem to be able to focus on soccer just fine."

"Have I said a single thing about soccer all day?"

"Hm. Let me think," Jun pretended to pause. "Only the entire car ride up here! I mean seriously, I don't care what the score for your game two years ago was!"

"It was a year and a half ago."

"I believe I just said I don't care."

"What? I can't hear you over the sound of me not caring."

Retsu laughed. He didn't know how these two did it, but they always managed to put him in a good mood. They were so easy going about everything, able to take whatever came their way in stride. With them, he felt comfortable. He was almost able to forget about this whole thing with the mafia.

"A boss should always be able to trust those close to him," Reborn, who the boy had completely forgotten about until now, said from his place on Retsu's shoulder.

"Yeah," he agreed before he realized what he was saying. "I mean, no. I mean, yes. Never mind. I mean, I'm not in the mafia!"

* * *

**Alright boys and girls, it's that time again. That's right, guessing time! The question for this chapter is:**

**What is Jun the guardian of?**

**Good luck!**


	6. Big Brother

**Hello all! ^^ As you can see, chapter 6 is now out. **

**For the answer to the question from last chapter, I'm sorry to say that neither of you got it right. Both of you had good guesses, with dotYui's being cloud, and monochromez's as thunder/lightning. Also, last chapter, Reborn22 also said that Jun was probably cloud. You guys really like the cloud guardian, don't you? Not that I can blame you (I love Hibari). Anyways, the correct answer was actually storm. Yes, Jun is the storm guardian. I don't know if you guys see it, and congratulations to anyone who guessed and got it right, but didn't review (why didn't you?), but it'll work out. Trust me.**

**dotYui:**** Don't forgive me just yet. Odds are, this story is just going to be one cliffhanger after another. But that keeps things interesting, doesn't it? I'm so glad you think they're interesting! I was kind of thinking they were like Gokudera and Ryohei when I wrote this, but you're right about the Goku and Lambo thing.**

**monochromez:**** Oh yeah, about math, I got a 91. I'm not happy about it, because it was more of stupid mistakes than anything else, but on the other hand, I was expecting a grade that was a lot worse! Moving on, Kazuki and Jun ****_are_ adorable, aren't they? That's the perfect word for it. Good job! A test huh? I was considering that, but we'll have to wait and see if it fits in. I kind of want to wait a little and add in another guardian or two. I think you'll like the next two. They're a couple of characters. A fail type, huh? That's going to be my new favorite phrase in typing!**

**I don't really like the beginning of this chapter. And that's about it. So all I have left for this chapter is: PLEASE REVIEW! Reviewing is always good! Really! Uh, too many r's in those last few sentences. I'm not kidding about it though.**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 6: Big Brother

"What the hell!" Retsu cried, sitting up in bed. He rubbed his throbbing chin, which his tutor had decided to kick almost all the way back this morning in order to wake him up. "There are other ways of waking someone up, Reborn!"

"I know," the baby replied, annoyed. "I'm not stupid. They just don't work with you."

The boy, who'd long ago learned that arguing with Reborn was like hitting yourself in the head with a brick, chose to turn to his clock instead of replying. It read 7:00 in bold green numbers. "7 o'clock!" he exclaimed. "I should be allowed to sleep until noon! It's the middle of summer!"

"Correction," Reborn chimed in. "You have less than a week left."

"Yea me," Retsu groaned with dismay. His time at the beach had ended yesterday. After the scavenger hunt, one would think that the rest of the vacation would seem boring by comparison. Wrong.

Kazuki had saved a small puppy from drowning on their fourth day. The dog, obviously grateful, had followed the teen around for the entire rest of the vacation. His parents had been unable to find the owner, and since the animal refused to let the blonde out of his sight for even a minute, they'd decided to keep it. Kazuki was ecstatic, and had promptly named the puppy Chiyo.

Surprisingly, that night where they'd seen the fireflies, Kazuki hadn't been kidding about the cliff diving. He'd convinced Jun to accompany him, and it turned out that the runner actually had quite a talent for it. By the end of the day, he was doing swan dives and flips off the cliff, and genuinely enjoying himself. Any worries about the black haired boy being afraid of heights after his experience were quickly extinguished, as he now seemed to love them more than ever.

And as for Retsu, Reborn had followed him around the entire three and a half weeks, causing bodily harm and giving unhelpful advice. True to his word, every morning the baby had made his charge run around the beach, literally at gunpoint. Around the fifth day, they'd switched to running in dying will mode, to build up "endurance" and "control".

So in summary, their trip had resulted in a new pet, a new-found love of heights, and many deaths. Perfectly normal, right?

Retsu had assumed that after getting back home, he'd be allowed a few days of rest, but apparently not. He reluctantly dragged himself out of bed, knowing full well that Reborn had not intention of letting him go back to sleep, and got dressed. He then went downstairs, covering a yawn with a pale hand. He heard some noise from the kitchen, and poked his head in, curious. A happy smile lit up his face, and all traces of sleep quickly evaporated upon seeing who was inside.

"Onii-chan!" he cried happily, just as he used to six years ago, the last time he'd seen his older brother. He quickly shut his mouth and bit his lip to stop any more childish outbursts, embarrassed. He was acting like he was nine again! How humiliating.

"Retsu!" Akimura Daisuke replied with equal enthusiasm, pulling the boy into a hug. "You've grown up since I last saw you," the man observed, pulling away slightly to better study his brother. "Hair's still white, I see. No matter how many times I see it, your hair never ceases to amaze me. If I hadn't been there when you were brought home, I would have thought you bleach it."

Retsu gave him a withering look, but amusement glittered in his eyes. "I think you're getting senile in your old age, Dai. I _do _bleach my hair," he said with a straight face. Daisuke's mouth fell open, and his eyes widened.

"What?"

The boy couldn't keep the act together. He started laughing. His brother stared at him curiously for a moment, realization slow to come. When it finally did, he puffed out his cheeks like a puffer fish, sulking.

"That was mean," he pouted.

"Don't sulk," Retsu begged. "You're a grown man. You not supposed sulk."

"Nonsense," the man replied. "_I'm_ a grown man. I can do whatever I want."

"Except leave your dishes on the table, leaving your poor old mom to clean them up," their mother commented exasperatedly. "Pick up after yourself."

"Yes, mother," Daisuke saluted, then went began cleaning. The woman shook her head wearily. Her white haired son walked over to the kitchen counter, putting a couple slices of bread into the toaster on his way to the fridge for some butter. Once the toast was done, he put in on a plate beside the butter and a knife, and sat down at the table. His brother, who by now was finished with his chore, watched him worriedly. "That's not all you're eating, is it?" he asked. Retsu raised an eyebrow.

"Is there a problem?"

"You should be eating more. When I was your age, I could down twice that much and an omelet, and still be hungry afterwords."

"I just don't eat as much as you, that's all." He bit into his toast, shrugging. Daisuke was actually his half-brother from his mother's first marriage. He was twenty-nine, fourteen years older than Retsu, and it was his first time back in Japan in six years. Until now, he'd been studying in America. He never said exactly what he was doing, but sometimes he hinted that it had something to do money. Banking?

Just by looking at the two, you would never know they were related. While Retsu had white hair, naturally pale skin, and violet eyes, Daisuke had dark brown hair, honey colored skin, and hazel eyes. However, despite their age gap, they were as close as real brothers, maybe even closer. He'd really missed his brother over the last few years, and was determined to spend as much time with him as possible for the remainder of summer break.

Then, Reborn came downstairs and ruined his good mood. "It's running time," the baby smiled, holding up his gun, which was actually a transformed form of his chameleon (remember the lizard?), aptly named Leon. Retsu gulped.

"Oh, c'mon Reborn, not today!" he pleaded. "I ran everyday at the beach, and I wanted to spend some time with my brother!"

"You've been exercising lately?" Daisuke asked. "The last time I was here, you didn't even participate in gym class. This little guy must be a miracle worker." He stared pointedly at Reborn, who waved.

"Ciaossu," Reborn said. "I'm Retsu's home tutor, Reborn."

"Home tutor, huh?" the man looked a bit skeptical. He turned to Retsu. "Were you really doing that badly in school?"

"No!" the teen answered quickly. "I-"

"Oh yes you were, young man," his mom interrupted. "Dai, Reborn has worked wonders with your brother. He actually passed two of his classes last semester." She wiped an imaginary tear away from her eye.

Daisuke's eyes almost bulged out of his head. "No way!" he exclaimed.

"Hey!" Retsu yelled indignantly. "Is that really so hard to believe." His brother nodded vigorously in response, then bowed to Reborn.

"Whatever you're doing, it's working great," he praised. "Keep up the good work."

"You can count on me," the baby nodded, then headed for the door, motioning for Retsu to follow.

The boy sent a pleading look over his shoulder, but Daisuke held up his hands in silent apology, mouthing, 'It's for your own good.' Retsu narrowed his eyes, whispering, "Traitor," under his breath. His brother only smiled sheepishly.

Reluctantly, the fifteen-year-old followed his tutor, making sure to drag his feet as much as possible. It was his last resort for rebelling against Reborn's beyond spartan teaching methods, and he planned to milk it for all it was worth.

He opened the door slowly, knowing his tutor was waiting on one of the fence posts outside. What he saw, however, was a large, muscled chest, clad in a navy blue T-shirt. His eyes wandered higher, to the face, and he almost flinched at the look he was being given. The man definitely topped six feet, and he looked like a foreigner, not that Retsu was one to talk about how people looked.

The man had a shaved head, with skin paler than the teen's own, and piercings running along his entire left ear. His face was twisted into an unwavering scowl, and he was glaring down at the smaller male with such intensity that Retsu was very tempted to shut the door in his face, if only to hide behind it. Then again, by the looks of the man, he wouldn't take kindly to that, and would probably rip the door off it's hinges to get at him. So he decided on the political route.

"Can I help you?" he asked, pleased with how he sounded almost bored. After the initial shock, he'd schooled his face into a I'm-a-pissed-off-hormonal-teenager-who-doesn't-want-to-be-bothered-so-get-the-hell-away-from-me look, which he was fairly convinced looked real.

"What?" the man said, not in Japanese, but in English. "Speak like a normal person."

"We're in Japan, you bumbling fool. You're the one who isn't speaking 'like a normal person.' Asshole." Retsu responded in fluent Japanese, adding a curious edge to the last word to make it sound like he was saying something else. The man, who probably knew very little if any Japanese, looked both confused and aggravated.

"Listen, brat," he began. Retsu couldn't tell if he said it like that because the man thought he couldn't understand English, or if he just didn't care either way. It could honestly be either. "I'm looking for Akimura Daisuke._ Akimura Daisuke_." He repeated the name, hoping that would ring a bell no matter what. The teen decided to play along, and let a look of understanding dawn on his face.

"Dai!" he called into the house, still in Japanese. "There's some thug who can't speak Japanese at the door for you!"

"Huh?" the man walked out of the kitchen into the hallway, stopping dead upon seeing who was waiting. "J-John?" he stammered. Retsu gave him a quizzical look. Daisuke recovered quickly, smiling at his younger brother. A child could have seen that it was fake. "Reborn's waiting, Retsu," the man reminded him. "You should go now."

The boy raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He shrugged, then brushed past the giant standing in the doorway.

"Watch where you're going," the man growled.

"Idiot," Retsu replied as he walked away.

"What'd he just say?" he heard the guy ask Daisuke.

"Nothing," his brother responded uneasily.

"What were you waiting for?" Reborn asked from his place on top of the fence.

"Nothing," the teen answered, lost in thought.

Reborn wasn't fooled, but he let it slide. After all, there was training to be done. He aimed the gun and shot at the unsuspecting teen.

"REBORN!" could be heard throughout the neighborhood, and the boy took off running.


	7. Demon 1

**Alright, here's chapter 7! The story starts to get interesting from here on out! Pay special attention to Retsu's brother! That's not technically a spoiler, is it? Speaking of his brother, what'd you guys think? Surprised? I hope so.**

**dotYui: You're the only one who reviewed, and I'm so happy! Thanks times a million. Yes, Jun is storm. Is it really that hard to see? It'll work out, don't worry. I'll have to work harder on my next character. Moving on, you think his brother is part of the mafia? You'll see... *evil laugh***

**Reviews are good, people! Remember, they motivate us authoresses. All I ask is that you take a minute to write down your thoughts. Is that really so hard? Not that I'm one to talk, considering I don't review a lot of the stories I read. But still! You don't have to be like me! I know at least some of you are good people. Not that you're a bad person if you don't review, that's not what I'm saying!**

…**I'm contradicting myself a lot, aren't I? I'll stop now, and get to what you guys actually want: the story!!!**

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Our Sky

Chapter 7: Demon 1: Yume

"Dad, where do you want this last box?" Kazuki called over his shoulder, shifting the cardboard box he was carrying to get a better hold on it. It was the first day of the new semester, and the blonde was hoping to get to school on time. It didn't go over well with the teachers to be late on the first day.

"Just somewhere near the counter," was the muffled response from the back room.

"Alright." He walked over to the counter, weaving through the aisles of neatly stacked equipment with the ease that only came from knowing somewhere completely and totally. Kazuki deposited his burden on the glass counter top, then swiped his hands together a few times to get rid of any unwanted dirt. He grabbed his bag from beside the box, and headed for the door. "See ya," he called over his shoulder as he walked out into the sunshine.

The walk to school was always pleasant, if not a bit quiet. He wished he had someone to walk with, but Jun lived on the other side of town, and probably wouldn't want to anyways. Retsu lived near Jun, so he was out too. Namimori wasn't that big, but with him helping out in the store every morning, he just didn't have the time to go over to their places. As for Amatsu, Kazuki didn't even know where he lived, so he was definitely not an option. They didn't get along too well either. They put up with each other for their friend's sake, but unlike Jun, who's insults always had a playful edge to them, arguing with Amatsu felt real. Like the other boy really meant what he said.

He hit himself over the head, immediately stopping that train of thought. It would do him no good in the long run, and it was just bringing him down. This was why he didn't like thinking: it led to questions with answers that he'd rather not think about. So he resolved not to over-think things too much ever again.

He heard hurried footsteps behind him, and turned just in time to see Retsu blow by, white hair flying in the wind. He was running frantically, and not the I'm-late-to-school kind of frantic. No, this was the if-I-don't-run-fast-I'm-going-to-die kind of frantic. Not that the oblivious soccer player noticed this.

"Hey, Retsu!" he called cheerfully. "You're out early!"

"Kazuki, thank god!" the other teen cried, circling back. "Help me! Reborn's trying to kill me!"

Kazuki looked around him, and saw the baby running behind, surprisingly keeping pace with his short legs.

"To be a hitman," he said once he was in hearing range. "You have to make sure you don't get killed."

"Again with the hitman thing?" Retsu, who was by now hiding behind his friend, asked tiredly. "How many times do I have to tell you that it's never going to happen."

"Hitman?" Kazuki repeated, curious. "I thought you were going to be in the mafia."

"I'm not going to be either!"

"A hitman is another word for someone in the mafia," Reborn explained, ignoring his student's outburst.

"Cool," Kazuki nodded thoughtfully.

"Don't just agree with him!" Retsu exclaimed.

"Why not?"

"Because he's crazy!"

"Seems perfectly normal to me."

"How?"

Luckily, this particular conversation was cut off by Jun walking by. Seeing them, he waved and said hi.

"Shouldn't you guys be heading to school?" he asked as he walked over. "You don't want to be late."

This was greeted by a started cry from both boys, and an exasperated sigh from Reborn.

"Stupid boys," the tiny hitman muttered to himself.

**_~OS~_**

Despite their delay, all three managed to make it in time for class. Amatsu found them while they were pulling on their indoor shoes.

"There's a weird girl sitting in our classroom," the boy stated. "In your desk, Retsu."

"Eh?" Curious, the white haired teen followed his friend, Kazuki and Jun right behind them. True enough, when they entered the classroom, they were greeted by the sight of a slender girl sitting at Retsu's desk. Her feet were propped up the desk, and she appeared to be sleeping, completely oblivious to the curious glances from the students and the whispered conversations.

Whoever the girl was, she certainly exotic looking. Her long hair fell about her messily, sticking out every which way in a wild, haphazard manner. Most of it was colored a deep, chestnut brown, but thick black highlights could be seen all over the place. Two black locks framed her face, which was currently tilted back and covered by a thin paperback book, hiding her features. She wore the girl's uniform top, a loose white shirt with a black tie instead of blue, but instead of the usual blue skirt, she wore black capris, cut off just under her knees. A black band ran around one of her thighs, and strapped to it were what looked like four silver poles that almost ran the length of her upper leg, all connected by a few hinge-like contraptions that could just be made out if one looked really hard.

Retsu walked up to her hesitantly, looking for any signs of movement. Finding none, he shook her shoulder slightly, trying to wake her up. "Hey, you okay?" he asked.

The book slid down into her lap, and she blinked drowsily. His eyebrows raised fractionally at the color of her eyes. Hazy silver irises met his, still blinking owlishly. "Oh," she murmured, meeting his gaze evenly. "Hello. Is this your seat?"

He nodded mutely, and she stood with a small smile.

"Sorry about that," she said, covering a yawn. "Some teacher told me to wait in the hallway for a few minutes. Guess I got bored and went exploring, then fell asleep. I think I was supposed to meet him somewhere..." she trailed off, thinking. "Oh yeah. At seven forty-five, I was supposed to go to the staff room." The strange girl, who's voice had never once lost the sleepy lilt it had carried since she'd woken up, looked towards the room's clock. It read 8:30. She just shrugged and yawned again. "Oh well."

"Hey, I like you," Kazuki laughed, slinging an arm over her shoulder. Jun was also smiling at the carefree new girl. "What's your name?"

"Name?" she repeated. "Oh, it's-"

"Yamanaka-san!" the teacher called from the doorway. "You were supposed to meet me forty-five minutes ago! Where have you been?"

"In here," she said, clouded eyes inquiring. "I fell asleep."

"Fell...asleep?" the man was speechless.

"Mm-hm," she nodded.

He looked around the class, sighing in defeat. "You may as well just introduce yourself now, seeing as most of the class is already here." Retsu looked around, and saw that most of the class was indeed in the classroom, all of them staring at the girl. "Everyone," the teacher called the class to attention. "This is the new transfer student. She just moved here from Tokyo."

She stepped forward, smiling pleasantly. "Hello everyone. My name is Yamanaka Yume. I hope we get along well this year." Her short introduction was met by a few claps.

Retsu heard the boy next to him whisper to his neighbor, "She's pretty cute, isn't she?"

"Yeah, I guess," the other replied. "Seems a little weird though."

Jun and Kazuki had similar experiences. It was apparent that all the boys in the class would admit that while she was a little odd, Yamanaka Yume was indeed very pretty. And she was, that Retsu would admit. Not drop dead gorgeous, like the school's idol, Kimidori Yuka, but pretty all the same. She just had a kind of natural beauty and grace that was nice to be near, and with the added help of her calm, laid-back personality, she seemed like a very comforting sort of person to be around.

She got the seat next to Kazuki, as soon as the teacher wasn't looking anymore, he turned to her and held out a hand. "It's nice to meet you, Yamanaka-san," he said. "My name's Kazuki Shin, but you can just call me Kazuki. Everyone else does."

"It's nice to meet you too," she replied, shaking. "But please, call me Yume, or Yume-chan. Yamanaka-san sounds too formal, you know?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "Okay, Yume, I'll introduce you to the best kids in the class. See that tall, grumpy kid over there?" he pointed at Jun, who spared him an annoyed glance before looking back at the board. "He's Takahiro Jun."

She nodded, which he took as a sign to continue.

"The white haired boy you were talking to earlier is Akimura Retsu," he pointed at Retsu, who waved. "That kid with the glasses is Amatsu. Don't ask what his first name is, I never bothered to ask." She giggled softly, and smiled at Amatsu.

"And those are all the people you'll ever need to know in this school," Kazuki concluded. She gave him an inquisitive look.

"Is that really all? Shouldn't there be more?"

"Who knows?" He shrugged. "Either way, you want to have lunch with us today?"

As the days passed, the boys quickly learned that Yume's sleepy demeanor never really left her. No matter where she was, be it gym class or math, the hazy look never really left her eyes. When asked about it, she would only reply cryptically, "It's just this personality of mine." No one really knew what that meant, but they decided not to pry. After all, everyone had their own secrets and oddities. Retsu's was that he was a successor for one of the most feared mafia families in the world, so in comparison, how bad could her's really be? He was soon to find out.

It was a week after he'd first met her. They were walking by a well-known kendo dojo, on their way to a local sushi place for a treat. It was him, Kazuki, and Jun, seeing as Yume had been sick that day, and Amatsu had been busy after school. They were just walking by, talking and laughing like usual, when they heard the sounds of a fight breaking out inside. Thinking that something like that was pretty normal for a place that taught how to fight, they paid it no attention. That was, until a boy who was barely older than them stumbled out, barely conscious. "Help us," he pleaded, falling to his knees. His exposed face and arms showed the signs of a fight, and a violent one at that. Bruises covered them, and his lips and nose were bleeding heavily. "Save us from that demon."

"What the hell's going on?" Jun asked, unusually frantic. "Answer me!" He shook the other male by the shoulders, but it was no use. He'd already fainted.

"What do you think happened?" Retsu asked hesitantly, looking at the dojo with fear.

"We'll have to find that out, huh?" Kazuki said, cracking his knuckles coolly. The cheerful look was gone from his face, replaced by steely anger that was almost tangible.

"Guess so," the runner agreed. His bangs were shading his eyes, making it impossible to tell what he was actually thinking, but it was also fairly apparent that he was angry too.

The two boys walked up to the building, moving almost in sync as they pushed open the door. Retsu followed timidly, startled by the change in his friends. "A-are you guys okay?" he stammered.

"No," Jun answered quietly. Kazuki was silent, stopped dead in his tracks by what he saw on the other side of the door. His two friends looked around him. Retsu's mouth dropped open.

"What happened here?" Kazuki murmured. The room looked like a war zone. Unconscious bodies lay on the floor, all with injuries of varied seriousness, from a few scrapes to bloody faces and broken limbs. Blood stained the walls and the floor, along with the room's only standing occupant. They couldn't see the face, and in the darkness of the dojo, they could only make out the most distinct of features. But they were features they recognized. Wild brown hair with black highlights. A black tie that had been discarded on the floor nearby, black capris, and a loose white shirt, all stained with the same dark red liquid. A black band wrapped around one of the thighs. The figure held a long silver staff, the four pieces connected by now straightened hinges. And it was all horribly familiar.

"Y-Yume?!?!"


	8. Demon 2

**Alright, here's the next chapter. I was skiing with my best friend over the weekend, and it was a blast! I'm writing this right before I go to bed, but I really wanted to update, you know!**

**I'm so happy! I've got 18 reviews! Can we make it to 20 with this chapter? Or am I being delusional. I hope not. The voices in my head say I'm perfectly normal, but if you ask me, they're a little on the weird side. ^^**

**dotYui:**** Let me start out by saying that you're the best! You've reviewed all the chapters so far, and I'm so grateful that you take the time to do so, even with your busy schedule. I actually like this chapter a lot. Yume was one of the first characters I came up with, right behind Retsu. She even beat Kazuki and Jun, but I wanted to save her until now. If you read on, I think you'll see why. Don't you just love me and my cliffhangers? *evil smile***

**Reborn22:**** Thank you so much for the review! It was interesting. You think Yume's like Hibari? I guess I can kind of see that, but I'm trying to get her to be more social than him. You really want someone to be the cloud guardian, don't you? Well, let's wait and see!**

**For the record, I think this might be my first real arc! Unless you count the first six chapters as an introduction arc, or whatever you want to call it. But either way, it makes me happy to finally get this story moving!**

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Our Sky

Chapter 8: Demon 2: You're Not Her!

_Last Time:_

"_What happened here?" Kazuki murmured. The room looked like a war zone. Unconscious bodies lay on the floor, all with injuries of varied seriousness, from a few scrapes to bloody faces and broken limbs. Blood stained the walls and the floor, along with the room's only standing occupant. They couldn't see the face, and in the darkness of the dojo, they could only make out the most distinct of features. But they were features they recognized. Wild brown hair with black highlights. A black tie that had been discarded on the floor nearby, black capris, and a loose white shirt, all stained with the same dark red liquid. A black band wrapped around one of the thighs. The figure held a long silver staff, the four pieces connected by now straightened hinges. And it was all horribly familiar. _

"_Y-Yume?!?!" _

**_~OS~_**

The figure started, turning to face the source of the sudden outburst. The three boys, who'd all yelled at the same time, were met with a pair of narrowed scarlet eyes, glaring intensely at them. They widened upon seeing the other teens, but never lost their angry glint.

With the girl facing them, they could all tell with absolute certainty that she was indeed their friend, Yume, looking more awake than they'd ever seen her. Despite the odd eye color, there was no way to duplicate the tangled mess of her hair, or the unconscious grace of her stance. When she'd first seen them, she'd momentarily dropped her guard, but now the staff was once again in a ready position, and all her defenses were back up.

It was Kazuki, as always, who recovered first. "Did you do this, Yume?" he asked in a low voice, eyes almost pleading with her to say no, to deny it, even though the proof was obvious. But the girl in front of him made no move to defend herself, didn't even acknowledge the comment. Her eyes were trained on the blonde, and her slender form was tensed, waiting for an attack of any kind.

"Why?!" Retsu burst out, hurt and shock apparent in his voice. "Why would you do something like this? This is horrible, and cruel, and...and it's not _you_!"

Cold eyes met his, the intensity of the gaze paralyzing him with terror. A cruel smirk formed on Yume's face, twisting the usually calm features into ones akin to a demon's. "Not me?" She almost laughed. Her tone was harsh, and Retsu visibly flinched at it, knowing it was directed at him. "How do you know what's me and what isn't? You know nothing about me. Maybe I just like the color of blood, did you ever think about that?"

"Stop it!" Jun snapped. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing's wrong," she took a step forward, twirling her staff menacingly. "I've always been like this. You've just never noticed. Like I said," she was now dangerously close to the black haired boy. Her weapon was no more than a metallic blur, spinning too fast for the eye to fully catch. She brought it to an abrupt stop only inches away from Jun's face, causing the teen to wince involuntarily. "None of you know anything about me."

A tense silence filled the room, it's heaviness covering everything in a soundless blanket, drowning out all noise. It weighed down on Retsu. He could barely breathe through the menacing, eerie feeling in the air. A kind of fear that he'd never felt before almost swallowed him; the fear of death. He couldn't move, couldn't even think. He had only one thought in his head, repeating endlessly like a broken record. _This is not Yume._

And he knew it to be true. No matter how similar they looked, the oppressive feeling that this girl carried with her was not what he felt around his friend. Yume always carried a soothing, gentle air about her, as if just by being near her, you could feel calm. Whoever this was, it wasn't her. There was no doubt in his mind.

"You're not Yume," he declared calmly, for once evenly meeting the glare sent his way. She raised an eyebrow.

"You're obviously in denial," the girl scoffed. "I think it's apparent to everyone here that no matter what you would like to believe, or what you've tricked yourself into believing, I _am _Yume. And nothing you say is going to change that."

"No," he continued with certainty, ignoring the curious glances from Kazuki and Jun. "I know. You're not her."

"Then who do you propose I am?" she asked, a dangerous glint in her eyes. As if she knew something. Something that he didn't. Whatever it was, she was anticipating his answer greatly. Maybe even worried about what it might be. Maybe even scared.

And that's when it came to him. It all made sense. How whenever Yume was asked about her sleepiness, she would always answer the same thing. The same phrase. Almost as if she was trying to tell him something. _It's just this personality of mine._

"You're not her," he repeated, looking the girl straight in the eye. "You're a second personality, aren't you?"

* * *

**This chapter's really short, but I just had to end it where I did. I promise, the next one will be longer! I just don't know how to continue after something like that, you know? Tell me what you think about this new development, please! Come on, you know you want to. The buttons right under this. ^^**


	9. Demon 3

**Chapter 9 is here! Farthest I've ever gotten in any story I've ever written, fanfiction or not. I'm very happy. Last chapter was very suspenseful, no? Bet you're happy I updated so fast. :3 This chapter is longer than last one, just like I promised!**

**I created Yume right after Retsu, so she was my second character to think up. Deciding on her name gave me hell right up until I introduced her though. I just couldn't find one that fit, no matter where I looked. Finally, while I was looking through a list of random Japanese words on the computer, Yume just popped out at me. It means dream, so I thought it would be good for sleepy little Yume, you know?**

**Anyways, on to responses. Yeah, 20 reviews! I'm so happy! This is just what I wanted! You guys are awesome.**

**dotYui:**** You snowboarded? And failed epically? That's okay, when I first started skiing, I think I spent 98% of my day on my butt, side, and wherever else you might fall on. The other 2% was when I was renting the skis and boots. ^^ You liked the second personality? I thought that would be a cool thing to put in, so I'm glad you like it too. And as for my cliffhangers, I just have to end my chapter on them. It builds up the suspense for the next chapter! And I update fast enough for it to be okay, right? ...Right?**

**Hajimeru Rinko:**** Yes, you are the 20th reviewer, and I'm so happy! I'm glad you like my story, and Yume's split personality. Thanks for reading, even though you're busy. What games are you playing? I'm always looking for good ones. Yume reminds you of Mukuro? Hmmm... **

**I think that's about it, so all I've got left to say is the usual: Please Review! You know you want to!**

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Our Sky

Chapter 9: Demon 3: Fighter

"You're a second personality, aren't you?"

Retsu's statement was met by dead silence. Kazuki and Jun were looking back and forth between their two friends, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. The girl, whatever she was, had let her confident, malicious mask fall for a second, and she was visibly shocked.

"A second personality?" she asked. Her hair was obscuring her eyes, making it impossible to read what she was thinking. Then, she did the most unexpected thing possible; she laughed. "And all this time I thought you were so dumb!" she admitted through giggles. "Turns out you're the sharpest one here. Congratulations, you've found out our little secret."

"So, Yume did know about you," the white haired teen concluded.

"Of _course_ she knew about me!" The giggles intensified slightly. "I'm her other half. And she thought she was being so clever with her little hints to you. I'll assume that's how you pieced it together, as there's no way you figured it out by yourself."

"Retsu, what's going on?" Kazuki asked, obviously confused.

"This girl isn't the Yume we know," he replied. "She seems to be another personality."

"I don't get it," the soccer player scratched his head. "If you're not her, then who are you?"

"Glad you asked," the girl said, finally getting herself under control. She straightened, a mocking glint in her eyes. Her staff now hung relaxed at her side, but there was still a hint of defensiveness in her stance. "My name's Kurohana. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Kurohana?" Jun echoed, looking slightly less confused than his blonde friend.

"Yep!" she affirmed with a smile.

"Who are you?" Retsu asked, bursting with questions. "Why do you exist?"

"Well that's kind of a rude thing to ask, don't you think?" Kurohana raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I don't usually go around asking people why they exist. I hope for your sake that you don't make a habit of it. I don't even know if there's really an answer to that que-"

"Don't fuck with me!" he shouted. "This is serious!"

An angry look flashed across her face, sending shivers up his spin. "You think I'm not serious about this?" she questioned darkly, grip tightening around her weapon. Kazuki and Jun took up defensive positions, but not fast enough. The girl lunged at them, staff raised to attack.

Kurohana swung the weapon in a wide arc, almost catching Jun in the cheek. He ducked out of the way just in time, but didn't see her foot coming until it collided with his chest, the hard sole of her black boot digging painfully into his ribs. He doubled over in pain, eyes swimming with stars, defenseless.

"Too easy," she smirked, raising the staff above her head and preparing to strike. Feeling another presence behind her, she whirled rapidly, bringing up her hand to block the blow aimed at her side. She caught Kazuki's fist smoothly, then jumped to avoid the kick that followed, meant to sweep her feet out from under her. The blonde smiled; she'd fallen for it. The girl's eyes widened when the hand previously in her grip slid away, grabbing hold of her wrist. Still in the air, she could do nothing to stop him from throwing her over his head, sending her flying towards the opposite wall.

Kurohana twisted in mid air, landing in a crouch a few feet away. Her boots left skid marks on the dojo's polished wood floor, but she paid them no mind. Her narrowed eyes were focused on the soccer player, flames burning in their crimson depths. Her mouth was twisted into a mad grin, face alight with violent amusement at the prospect of a worthwhile opponent.

"Please stop," Kazuki pleaded. "We're friends. I don't want to fight."

"Sucks for you." She stood, swinging her weapon expertly before renewing the fierce attack. Kazuki, to his credit, managed to either block or avoid most of the attacks thrown at him, but every once and awhile, a stray hit or kick would land. He tried to ignore the pain, but all too soon, they began to take their toll. He was slowing down, taking hits that he ordinarily wouldn't have. Before he'd found soccer, he'd trained in martial arts, so he was accustomed to fights like this. Even to an inexperienced eye though, it was clear that Kurohana was extremely skilled. Her motions were fluid, graceful, and completely unpredictable. The way she fought, it was almost like she was dancing. He was just a clumsy kid playing along.

He was on the verge of collapsing when he heard a loud, "Duck, idiot!" from behind. Kazuki did as he was told, and just barely avoided getting hit by the shinai that swung over him, colliding with Kurohana. She too had heard the shout, but unlike Kazuki, who had been playing sports and fighting together with Jun since grade school, and completely trusted any direction given by the other, she didn't have his automatic reflexes to the command. She'd had just enough time to duck part way, so that the bamboo sword hit her not below the ear, as had been intended, but on the side of her forehead. Unfortunately, it missed the temple, wiping out any chances of knocking the girl out, but the hit did send her staggering back, clutching her head.

A tiny trickle of blood escaped through her fingers, and when she looked up to glare at them, they could see that the source was a scrape just above her ear, almost hidden by the brown hair. "I will fucking _murder_ you both," she snarled quietly. "Consider yourselves dead."

Kurohana readjusted her hold on the silver staff, gripping it tightly with both hands. She began to pace in a circle around her two wary opponents, occasionally faking a lunge, but never actually attacking. Her eyes flicked momentarily to the shinai in Jun's hand, and she was shocked to find that it was no longer there. Looking up quickly, she found it hurtling at her with deadly accuracy. She twirled out of the way just in time, and almost ran right into Kazuki. _When did he get there?_ She wondered, but wasn't given time to think anything else, as she was too busy dodging the punch aimed for her.

Kazuki's fist met cold metal, and he realized he'd been blocked by the girl's weapon. She spun it in a half circle, and the butt of the staff collided with his face, sending him sprawling to the ground. Kurohana brought her boot down on his stomach, effectively knocking the air out of his lungs. The blonde coughed a few times, struggling for breath.

"I told you," she whispered, leaning in closer. "Consider yourself dead." He gritted his teeth, frantically trying to remove her foot, but she only pressed harder. The sound of running feet came from behind them, but she barely looked up. Before Jun could even make a move, she was already behind him. Her weapon cracked against his head, and his eyes rolled back as he fell on Kazuki. To the soccer player's eyes, the shadows in the dojo obscured most of the girl's face. The only thing plainly visible were her narrowed scarlet eyes, glowing menacingly in the darkness. Just like a demon's. "Well boys," she started, an actual hint of regret in her voice. "It's been fun. But play time's over." She positioned the staff just above Kazuki's head, right between his widened green eyes.

"Yume..." he whispered.

"She's not here right now," Kurohana stated. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not as nice as her-"

"REBORN!" a voice cried from the corner. She whipped her head around, coming face to face with a certain white haired teen that she's all but forgotten about.

"Wha?" she exclaimed, backing away. "When'd you get there?" Wordlessly, Retsu grabbed her staff, preventing further movement. She swung it, trying to dislodge his grip, but the boy held firm. "Let go!"

"I will bring back Yume with my dying will!" he shouted, wrenching away the weapon. Kurohana was shocked, to say the least. Who the hell was this kid? Hadn't he been hiding behind his friends only moments ago? What was with the sudden change in character?

"Give it back, you bastard!" she demanded, stepping towards him.

A flash of pain shot through her. She fell to her knees, crying out as she collapsed, instinctively retracting into a ball. What was this? What was going on? The poisonous feeling spread, paralyzing her. Unknown to Kurohana, black tendrils had begun snaking up her arms and legs, covering her body in dark swirling patterns. Her vision was going red. Everything was acquiring a crimson glow, from the boy in front of her to the light filtering through the open door. On the outside, while her irises remained the same color, the whites of her eyes were changing, blackness swallowing them up.

The girl's spastic writhing stopped, along with the screams. Shivers still racked her slim form, but she had gone silent. Before Retsu's shocked eyes, she pulled herself to her feet shakily, barely able to keep herself up.

"Kurohana?" he tried, the flame on his forehead dissipating. He returned to normal, the previous experience seemingly forcing the transformation to a stop. He's need to get a manual on how the dying will bullet actually worked, and why it always stopped working at the worst of times. Ah, who was he kidding? Even if there was a manual, he would never read it. It'd just disappear into the black hole known as his room.

The girl looked up, and Retsu gasped at what he saw. Curling tattoos were emblazoned on every inch of visible skin. Her eyes had faded to a dull maroon color, while all that surrounded them was, instead of white, blackened in. Her gaze was fixed upon the staff in Retsu's hand.

"Give...it...back," she forced out, every word a battle. She moved towards him, but not of her own will. Kurohana felt like she was watching through the eyes of someone else, like she had no control of her own actions. Her body was moving with uncoordinated motions, like a badly controlled puppet, and she couldn't understand why. Even when she fought, she still had _some_ control. She just chose not to use it. This was different though. This wasn't right. This was scary.

"W-what happened to you?" Retsu asked, unwittingly voicing both of their thoughts. "I don't understand what's going on."

_That makes two of us,_ she thought bitterly. Her body lurched forward, making an almost drunken-looking grab for her weapon. The boy moved out of the way, then brought up his arm to block the punch aimed for his face. Her hand collided with the thin silver bracelets sliding around on his wrist. Retsu winced as the metal bit into his arm, bending with the force of the blow. He grabbed a hold of her wrist, and his eyes widened as images flooded into his head, almost overwhelming him.

_Kurohana stained in blood, kneeling beside a body, red eyes wide with a mix of grief and wonder. _

_Yume covered in dirt, tears spilling from her silver eyes as they trace lines down her face._

_A man, laughing maniacally as he kicks a younger Yume repeatedly. The tiny girl collapses on the ground, trembling, feebly trying to protect herself._

Retsu sank to his knees, covering his ears in a useless attempt to block out the pained sounds that echoed in his head. His eyes were screwed shut, trying not to see the horrid images. "Stop it!" he cried out. "Just stop. Please." The last word was uttered softly, almost imperceptibly under his breath.

"Retsu..." he heard Yume, or Kurohana, or whoever it was, murmur his name. He looked up hesitantly, afraid of what he might see. The image before him was the worst out of them all. And this time, it was really happening.

Tears streamed down her face, running over the dark tattoos marring the skin. Her eyes switched from red to silver with dizzying speed, never stopping on one for more than a few seconds. Both sets showed an amount of grief and pain that shouldn't have been known to someone so young, or anyone at all, for that matter. It almost broke his heart just looking at her.

"Help me," the two words escaped, carrying with them more sadness and hope than he'd ever heard before. She needed him. And he couldn't let down his friend. But what was he supposed to do in this situation that could possibly ever make things better for this mysterious girl? Kurohana had been right; he knew nothing about her, or about Yume. So what now?

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**Explanations on what happened with Retsu while Kazuki and Jun were fighting Kurohana is coming in the next chapter, so I don't want to hear questions about in reviews. Not to say that I don't want reviews. I do, trust me. Please?**


	10. Demon 4

**Disclaimer: Oh no, it's the dreaded 10th chapter! I said I'd put in a disclaimer every 5 chapters or so, so I just decided to start on 10, which is easy. KHR=not mine, and we all know that. The next one's in chapter 15, for all you nitpickers out there. That is, unless I forget, which I might, in which case...sucks for you. :p**

**Yume and Kurohana are very well loved, apparently. The split personality thing is very popular with the people who reviewed, which makes me happy because _I_ like writing about it. They're just so different, and more complex than Kazuki and Jun (for now). Kurohana was originally going to be Yume's name, but I didn't think it fit as well, and it's too long. Yume is the dominant personality, for those of you wondering, and I didn't feel like writing that long name all the time. Besides, their names now fit better, right? **

**22 reviews! Yeah! I'm kind of hoping for 2 or more reviews every chapter, so this is making me happy. Time for responses!**

**Fuuki Inchou Ange:**** If you don't like next gen fics, then I'm so happy that this one kind of changed your mind. It's an honor! Thanks for reviewing, and here's your new chapter.**

**dotYui:**** Thank you for your forgiveness, which I will undoubtedly need again and again as the story continues. Don't you just love half days? They're so nice!**

**monochromez:**** Thanks for taking the time to review, even though you're busy. Kazuki's puppy will play a part in the story (I'm not sure how big of one, but it'll be a part nonetheless). I planned that Retsu was going to have a brother from the start, but honestly, I created Dai pretty much as I was writing this. I'm glad you like him! ^^ And as for his job...just you wait.**

**And now, on to the fourth installment in the demon arc, chapter 10! For the record, a lot of this chapter is in italics, but they're needed. Remember to review when you're done!**

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Our Sky

Chapter 10: Demon 4: Three Heads Are Better Than One

_What do I do? _Retsu searched frantically for a way out of this situation, but nothing was coming. He thought back to moments ago, and the talk he'd had with Reborn before being shot, yet again, by a dying will bullet. Had the baby said anything that would be of use? He'd seemed contemplative, but also like he knew at least a little of what was going on. Which was more than could be said for Retsu.

_**Flashback:**_

_The teen watched the fight with baited breath, unsure of what to do. Kazuki had drawn the girl away, and Jun was struggling his way to his feet, growling while he rubbed where he'd been kicked. It must have been pretty painful. _

"_Ju-" he'd started, intending to go help his friend. He was cut off by a kick to the back of the head, which sent him tumbling to the ground. "What the? Reborn!" It was funny how he was so used to his tutor's abuse that he just instinctively yelled his name when he was in pain. As per usual, Reborn landed just in front of him seconds later, looking completely normal. "Why're you here?!"_

"_You're so useless," Reborn said matter-of-factually, ignoring the previous question. "A boss is always supposed to lead his subordinates to battle."_

"_They're not my subordinates!" Retsu was tiring of saying the same thing all the time, but stopping would mean that he'd accepted his fate, and his pride would not allow that. His thoughts returned to the battle before him, and he began panicking. "What do I do, Reborn?" he cried. His tutor's gaze was fixed on the fight, and, more specifically, Kurohana. A tiny frown had formed on his lips, which was an immense display of emotion for the infant. Retsu had never seen Reborn even remotely upset before, so the expression on his tutor's face clued him into the fact that this might actually be worse than he thought. _

"_What do you see when you look at her?" Reborn asked._

"_Huh?"_

"_Look very closely at that girl," he instructed. "Do you see anything weird about her?"_

"_Is that a trick question?" the boy dead-panned. "By something weird, do you mean besides the fact that my friend's ballistic other half has started attacking us?"_

"_Yes, besides that."_

_Retsu raised an eyebrow at the baby, but looked back at his friend anyways. He could see nothing out of the ordinary, besides the obvious fact that this was even happening in the first place. "I've got nothing," he admitted, feeling kind of stupid. Reborn had that effect on him._

_The hitman sighed. "You really do need serious training. We'll begin with it as soon as this whole episode is over," he muttered to himself, reaching for Leon. _

"_What was that?" Before Retsu could even ask what he meant, he found himself staring down the now-familiar barrel of Reborn's pistol. It still freaked him out. "C'mon Reborn, be reasonable-" he was interrupted by the bullet colliding with his forehead. He slumped to the ground, lifeless, for a brief moment, while his thoughts went through the usual guilt-trip, "I should have done this" thing that came with the bullet. _

_An orange flame erupted on his forehead, flooding his veins with warmth. He stood, in nothing but his boxers, and bellowed, "REBORN!" Retsu blinked once, attention on Kurohana. The girl had been startled by the sudden noise, and was turning towards him. He darted up to her, enhanced eyes tingling as a new kind of sight revealed itself._

_Surrounding Kurohana were sinister looking black tendrils, interlocking with each other without ever touching the girl. They seemed to be originating from the weapon in her hand, as the staff was veiled almost completely in darkness. Had this been what Reborn had been looking at?_

_The girl swung her weapon at him, but he caught it, wrenching it from her grip despite her protests. "I'll bring back Yume with my dying will!" Retsu shouted._

"_Give it back, you bastard!" Kurohana exclaimed, taking a step forward. It was then that it happened. The tendrils moved in with lightening speed, engulfing her. Through the darkness, he saw his classmate fall to the ground, screaming in pain. He could only stand, helpless, while his friend suffered. The black things seemed to be absorbing into her, carving themselves into patterns on her skin. Once it was all gone, the cries of pain disappeared with it, leaving a trembling girl in their wake._

"_Kurohana?" he said hesitantly, unsure of what to do. He felt himself returning to normal, felt the sense of power and strength vanishing. He was hit with a sense of foreboding that told him that he'd be needing that exact power in the very near future._

_**End Flashback**_

After that came the lunge for the weapon, then the painful memories that he had no desire to recall. Because that was what they had been: Kurohana's and Yume's memories. Retsu wished that he'd never seen them in the first place. He could only imagine how horrible it had to have been to actually live through them.

"Help me."

Her words struck a cord deep within him, lighting a flame of sadness that burned from the depths of his soul. He had to help her in some way, but how? What could he possibly do when he himself had no idea what was going on?

The effort it had taken to force out those two words seemed to have taken it's toll, as any semblance of her former self quickly disappeared back under an emotionless mask. Her eyes stopped changing colors, settling back into that maroon color from before. She regarded him coldly.

"Retsu, it's not wise to just stand there," he heard Reborn warn, just as Kurohana leapt at him, fists raised. The girl's attention turned to Reborn who'd just spoken, and her indifferent eyes widened a fraction. She stopped dead, studying the infant.

"An arcobaleno?" she murmured to herself. She turned to Retsu, realization plain on her face. "So you're a candidate to be Vongola Undicesimo." It wasn't a question. "Then I have to kill you."

"W-what?!" the white haired teen exclaimed.

"I'm supposed to kill you," she repeated. "I have to kill the Vongola heirs. _He_ told me to."

"So that's what's going on," Reborn mused.

"What's going on?" Retsu asked, dreading the answer.

"When I first arrived, you asked if there were any other heirs, didn't you?" the baby recalled. His student nodded. "Well, there were many at one time. You weren't even to be considered until recently, due to your young age. But," here, he paused, frown deepening. "In recent months, the other successors have begun disappearing. There was a rumor going around that they were being systematically killed off. Out of the original nine candidates, there are only three left, plus you, which makes four out of ten. A witness said that the killer was a 'red eyed demon.' There is a possibility that Kurohana was that killer."

"No way," Retsu stared at Reborn with disbelief.

"You don't have time to waste on denial," Reborn stated bluntly. "You're being blinded by your emotions. The last heir disappeared a week and a half ago. When did Yume transfer here?"

"Shut up!" Retsu shook his head violently, though on the inside, his resolve was wavering. She had transferred at the beginning of last week, on the first day of school. He knew next to nothing about her. Not where she was from, what she liked to do besides sleep, what she did in her spare time, nothing. So what if... No! There was just no way!

"Calm down," the baby said. "We don't know for sure what happened, and won't if you don't find a way to return her to normal."

He glanced up at Kurohana, who was watching them with a mixture of boredom and mild interest. The glazed look in her eye sent shivers up his spine. "Alright," he gritted out in defeat. How had it come to this?

"So, are we going to fight?" she prompted. Retsu looked at her, hurt apparent in his eyes. He couldn't stand this indifferent attitude. He'd give anything to get Yume back right now. Hell, even the real Kurohana would be better than the monster that was there now. At least she seemed to have _some _control over her own actions.

_You bet I do._ Kurohana's voice echoed in his head.

"What the?!" Retsu cried out loud, searching frantically for the source of the statement. He could see nothing different about the girl in front of him though.

_That's 'cause I'm not there anymore, dumbass. _Her voice sounded again, exasperated.

"Are you...inside my head?" he asked, again out loud. His opponent and tutor alike gave him curious looks.

_No shit._ Kurohana said flatly.

_Don't be so mean, Hana._ This time it was Yume's voice, reprimanding her other half.

"You're both there?"

_Someone give the kid a prize._ He could almost picture Kurohana's sarcastic face.

"How'd you get there?"

_You think I know?_

_What she means, _Yume interrupted. _Is we don't know. Nothing like this has ever happened before. When one of us is in control, the other goes to sleep. This time, though, it's almost like we've been forced out._

_Who does that bitch think she is? _Kurohana sounded indignant.

"Why did you chose my head?"

_You were the only available space._

_Ouch. I think she just called you empty headed, kid._

"Who are you calling kid?! You're my age!"

_That's not what I meant!_ Yume huffed. _Jun was unconscious, and we couldn't even get close to that baby next to you. He had some kind of barrier up._

"What about Kazuki?"

_I don't want to know what goes on in his head! _Kurohana exclaimed. _I get the chills just thinking about it!_

Based on her personality, Retsu could kind of understand that part, so he decided not to question her anymore, and move on. "So, um, what now?"

_Hell if I know. Aren't you the one who's supposed to think up the plans?_

"What do you mean by that?"

_You're going to be the next boss, Retsu,_ Yume explained. _Isn't that kind of thing your job?_

"I'm not going to be the boss!" the teen denied fervently.

_If you don't duck now, you're not gonna have to worry about what you're going to be! _Kurohana exclaimed. He turned, and saw his opponent charging at him, staff raised. Retsu did as he was told, and ducked out of the way.

"Playtime," she said, brandishing her weapon. "Is over. I've let you say your odd last words. Now, it's time for you to die."

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For any of you who were confused while reading that part with Yume and Kurohana,

_This_ = Kurohana's thoughts/words

_This_ = Yume's thoughts/words

Just in case that wasn't clear. Remember, please review!


	11. Demon 5

**Hi guys! I am back, and I bring you a new chapter! For any of you who may be confused as to why Retsu's opponent had another staff, it was actually a typo on my part in the beginning. By the time I caught it though, it was already posted. Then, I thought it over, and came up with an idea on how it could work. So pay attention to why. I think this arc is drawing to a close. Not immediately, but there will probably only be 1 or 2 more chapters in it (not including this one). Then, the story will _really_ start to heat up! Just a heads up.**

**Thank you to all of you who reviewed! As all you authors and authoresses out there know, reviews are great motivation for a writer, and it really brightens my day to get them!**

**dotYui:**** You always review so fast! It's really great! I love half days, but we barely have them anymore in my school. We used to have so many in elementary school! What happened? Whaaa! Moving on, I'm glad you liked the chapter. I imagine that it would be weird to have two other personalities (not that I have any experience) in your head, and I think I'd get a headache too. I get headaches with only my own thoughts!**

**Fuuki Inchou Ange:**** The more you read, the more you love it? Cool! You'll just have to wait and see about whether or not Yume's going to be a guardian. It'll come soon though. I never really thought about it, but yeah, I guess she and Mukuro are a little similar. All of my characters are original (I hope), so I didn't really base them off of anyone in particular.**

**Reborn22:**** Suspenseful endings for chapters are always my favorites to write. They're my specialty! And I use them a lot in this story. The anime and manga use a lot of suspense too, in my defense. If you have the time, I'd check back here every other day as far as updates go. I try to update every other day, but I can't make any promises.**

**monochromez:**** I'm happy that you like the characters introductions. It seems that the split personality is very popular with everyone who reviewed! I planned Kurohana to be a very interesting person, so I'm glad that you think she is. Yume's going to be interesting too, but in a different way. I'm being a bit vague with stuff like the "he" because, well, because I haven't fully thought up who "he" is going to be. I have an idea about that part of the plot and all, but the actual characters are a bit hazy. I'll try and bring the puppy in somehow, as I like it too!**

**I hope none of you got confused with the mind stuff last chapter. If you don't pay close attention this chapter, you might get lost. It's kind of complicated. I tried to make it as easy to understand as I could, but here's a reminder:**

_This_ = Kurohana's thoughts/words

_This_ = Yume's thoughts/words

Also, for the recap at the beginning,

_**This**_ = Kurohana's thought

**Hope you get it! Enjoy!**

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Our Sky

Chapter 11: Demon 5: I Want

_Last time:_

"_I'm not going to be the boss!" the teen denied fervently._

_**If you don't duck now, you're not gonna have to worry about what you're going to be! **Kurohana exclaimed. He turned, and saw his opponent charging at him, staff raised. Retsu did as he was told, and ducked out of the way._

"_Playtime," she said, brandishing her weapon. "Is over. I've let you say your odd last words. Now, it's time for you to die."_

**_~OS~_**

After the initial shock of the attack, there was only one thought in Retsu's head that he could actually make sense of. He glanced down at the silver staff still in his grip, then back up at the girl in front of him, who was holding up an almost identical one, except it was wooden.

_How'd she get another staff?_ Yume asked, voicing his thought.

_This is a dojo,_ Kurohana replied. _I'm sure they have loads of extra weapons lying around. Either way, all that matters is that she did get another one somehow, and now the moron has to fight against it. Be careful, boss. _Even in his panicked state, he caught the derisive edge in her voice at the mention of "boss."

"I thought Yume told you to be nice."

_Do I look like the kind of person who cares?_

"I can't exactly see you now," he pointed out. Kurohana sighed, while Yume giggled.

_He got you there. _

_I hate both of you._

Retsu let an involuntary smile appear on his face. Their childish bickering was actually calming him down. It reminded him of Kazuki and Jun. He spared a glance at his friends, and was relieved to see the blonde sitting up. He was rubbing his stomach, and didn't look like he was in any condition to be fighting anyone, but at least the soccer player was alright. Jun was still unconscious, lying on the floor beside his friend, but he too looked like he'd live to see another day. The white haired boy let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

_Pay attention, dammit!_ Kurohana shouted. The teen looked up, and saw the wooden staff coming down on him, about to hit his collar bone. He rolled out of the way just in time, and the weapon hit the ground harmlessly with a dull thud. He just barely managed to avoid the next swing, but was too late to dodge the fist that hit his face. He literally flew into the opposite wall, shocked by the force of the blow.

Retsu hit his head against the wall upon impact, and slid to the floor, dazed. His vision swam dangerously before returning to normal. He tried to move, but fell back with a yelp at the pain in his back. He searched the wall behind him, and gaped at the splintering crack that ran up one of the panels of wood. The broken wood had left a long gash along his back. It wasn't deep, but it still hurt like hell. The boy could only hope he hadn't gotten any splinters, but with his luck lately, there wasn't a high chance of that happening.

_You're so useless!_ the red eyed girl in his head practically screeched, unknowingly quoting Reborn. _Can't you fight back?_

"I have no idea what I'm doing, in case you hadn't noticed," he snapped. She was silent for a moment.

_Then listen to what I tell you to do,_ she ordered.

"Huh?"

_I'll tell you how to fight,_ she explained. _All you have to do it follow my instructions. _

"What if I can't?" he asked. Kurohana snorted.

_Then you're dead, aren't you? _She responded bluntly. _This plan will only work if you do exactly what I tell you, exactly when I tell you. I don't want to hear all that "I can't" bullshit. You ever think that again, and I'll kick your ass. Understand?_

He gulped. "Perfectly."

_Good. _There was a note of approval in her voice, but it disappeared with her next words. _Don't move. _

He felt a hand grab his hair, but ignored the urge to fight back. He was yanked into a sitting position, and felt the wood staff slide past his neck. He gritted his teeth.

"Is this really all the Vongola have to offer?" he heard his attacker say monotonously. "None of you are even worth my time. Especially you. I don't understand why _he_ was so dead set on killing all the heirs. There isn't a single one of you who could actually pose a threat."

_Swing the staff at her legs,_ Kurohana ordered. He complied, and was rewarded with a loud cracking sound. The girl barely flinched, only narrowed her glazed eyes.

"Perhaps you wish to hurry along your death?" she suggested menacingly, but he wasn't even listening. Retsu was preoccupied with Kurohana's directions.

_Try to hit her chin with the butt of the staff. _He did as he was told, but she simply stepped back, letting go of his hair in the process. _Good. Now you're free. Here comes the tricky part. You have to find a way to destroy your staff._

"Wha? But-"

_You said you'd listen to me, _she reminded him. When he didn't reply, she took it as a sign to continue. _There's gotta be something we can use! I think our only option is to burn it. See any fires around here?_

"Why are we destroying it in the first place?" Retsu asked, confused. Reborn, who'd been all but forgotten about, smirked slightly. His hat covered his eyes, but it was easy to see that he was pleased. He reached for Leon.

Retsu's opponent, on the other hand, had stiffened when she heard the question.

_Because, nimrod,_ Retsu had noticed that the girl hadn't used his actual name the entire time she'd been talking. It was always mocking names, or insults. _That's what's causing this. Don't you see anything weird about it?_

He looked at the weapon, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

_Don't even try, Retsu,_ Yume sighed. _Normal people can't see what's wrong with it. We didn't._

"Then why does Kurohana know now?"

_She doesn't,_ was Yume's blunt answer. _She's guessing._

_Don't you have that "blood of Vongola" or whatever? _Kurohana asked irritably. _Can't you see weird stuff like that?_

Retsu was about to respond with a no, but he paused. Was that what had happened earlier?

"It's good that you've finally figured it out, even if you did need some help," Reborn said from behind him. The teen whirled, and saw his tutor smiling at him. That was never a good sign.

"Figured out what?" Retsu asked cautiously.

"When you're hit with a dying will bullet, the external limiters in your body are removed," the baby explained, ignoring the question. "You're senses get better, and you become stronger. Also, while it's not as strong as a rebuke bullet would be, your heightened senses tap into your Vongola blood, and your hyper intuition, allowing you to see things that others can't."

"Can you repeat that?" the boy asked.

"No," was Reborn's immediate response. "As a boss, you need to be able to memorize things in a matter of seconds."

"That makes no sense!"

"It doesn't have to. I'm a hitman."

"What the hell?!" He threw his hands in the air in exasperation, but was secretly glad that through this entire experience, some things had remained the same. Reborn's crazy way of thinking, for example.

_While this is all very enlightening and all, can he get to the point? _Kurohana sounded annoyed. _Our friend over there is getting antsy._

Retsu turned his attention to his opponent, and found that she was indeed getting ready to attack. "What do I do now?" he cried, the panic from before returning.

"Stupid Retsu," Reborn sighed, cocking his gun. The boy didn't even notice. The baby shot at his student, hitting him in the head with deadly accuracy. With any other bullet, Retsu would never have woken up. Good thing that the bullet the tutor had used hadn't been any other bullet.

For the second time that day, Retsu found himself lying on the floor, the life ebbing out of him. He dimly heard Yume's and, yes, Kurohana's cried of alarm.

_What the hell does that baby think he's doing? _Kurohana yelled. _I thought he was on our side! Retsu, don't you dare die on us!_

_Hang in there!_ Yume joined in.

Retsu briefly wondered when all three of them had become a side, as not even a half an hour ago, Kurohana had been trying to kill him and his friends, and Yume had been out of the picture all together, but he didn't dwell on it. It felt nice, to know that someone would care if he died. To know that he'd been useful. Kurohana had even relented, and finally called him by his name.

He was struck with a thought that ruined his good mood. Did he really want to die like this? Without ever knowing what came next? He was supposed to be helping Kurohana and Yume. He wanted to get to know them better. He wanted to hang out with his friends, wanted to be able to try things he'd never done before. He wanted to be able to spend time with everyone again, to relax and know everything was alright.

He wanted to live.

A flame sprung to life on his head, burning brighter than any before it. He pushed himself to his feet, his eyes burning with passion and determination. "REBORN!" he yelled.

Unknown to him, Kurohana and Yume both felt a pulling sensation, then a strange feeling of detachment. The next thing she knew, Yume found herself floating in the air next to Kurohana, utterly bewildered. She looked down, and saw Retsu just under them. She could have touched his head if she wanted to.

_What just happened?_ She asked.

Kurohana was smirking down at Retsu, but there was a certain softness in her eyes, one that showed she wasn't quite as heartless as she wanted everyone to believe. _Yume,_ she began. _I believe the idiot just kicked us out._

Yume gave her other half a strange look, but said nothing. When she was good and ready, Kurohana would tell her what she was thinking, and not a minute sooner. Kurohana always took things at her own pace, and hated to be rushed.

"With my dying will," she heard Retsu start. Both girls looked down. "I'll protect our future."

* * *

**I bet some of you guys thought that was going to be a rebuke bullet. I considered it briefly, but decided against it. Why? Because, as much as I like the rebuke bullet better, I want it to come with a new item, which I haven't introduced yet. So you'll just have to wait. The time may come sooner than you think.**


	12. Demon 6

**Hello! Yeah, this is a day late, but believe it or not, I do have a life outside of fanfiction. I can sense your disbelief. Actually, I just found this manga Liar Game, and I got addicted. I read 7 chapters, looked at the clock, and thought, "Holy crap, it's that late?! I totally didn't notice!" I'm on chapter 53 right now, and I still love it! Also, to add to that, FF's being horrible and not letting me update!**

**6 more reviews! That makes me very happy. I'm glad that this story is finally gaining a little popularity.**

**dotYui:**** How do you review so fast? I'm always at least a day late when I review yours (which I really love, by the way). Every once in a while, my school still gives us a half day, but it's really only an hour and a half less. Which is still better than normal, but they're not very frequent. We used to get half days for midterms, but because of the sixth grader's parents, who don't think the kids are responsible enough to be home alone (which I personally agree with, but still), we don't have those anymore. Instead, we have "½ year tests", which are basically the same test minus the rest of the day off. I hate them. Moving on, I'm glad you like the arc. Retsu's going to have a very unique weapon, which I have already thought up. I hope you like it when it shows up!**

**YaoiFanGirl2ndnature:**** Glad you like the story. Who that girl is, why she's here, etc. will all be answered in either this chapter or at a later point in the story, when they become relevant. Feel free to say if you have anymore questions. I'm planning for Kurohana to be a bit of an anti-hero/very controversial character, so pay close attention to her.**

**Blakk Magic:**** Wow, you read fast! Truth be told, I have a general ****_idea _about what's going to happen in the next, like, 30 chapters or more, depending on how long it takes to write. After all, I thought this arc was only going to be 3 chapters, and it turned into 6. But the key word in that is idea. I don't really plan the details beforehand, I just kind of write whatever I think up in that moment. The hardest thing about writing is keeping your characters in characters (followed closely by the hell known as editing), so I'm glad you think that they're okay. I didn't get around to reading your story yet because of reading Liar Game, but I saw the summary, and it looks good. I'll try to read it before my next update!**

**Fuuki Inchou Ange:**** I like serious stories too, but I'm not really good at writing them. This arc's probably about as serious as it's going to get for a while. I love the KHR characters, but you're right; there's so many of them that they make it really hard to make an original character! It's okay for an OC to be like Fran. He's cool. Yume is a very mysterious person, so her personality is going to be hard to categorize. Hope you like mysterious people!**

**monochromez:**** I don't like having to wait too long for updates on my favorite stories, so I don't like having to make you guys wait either. Who am I kidding, I'm such a hypocrite. I haven't updated my other story in over 2 weeks, which really isn't that bad in retrospect, but I still don't like it. I just can't think up any ideas for it! I'm happy that you liked the dictating part, as I was worried that it wasn't really flowing that well. It's good to hear that I'm keeping you entertained!**

**Reborn22:**** Lal Milch, huh? I hadn't really thought about it, but it's not a bad comparison. I like her for the most part though, so that's okay. ^^**

**Wow, I write long responses. Maybe too long. Tell me if you think so, and I'll shorten them. Now, onto the story!

* * *

**

Our Sky

Chapter 12: Demon 6: Tora

_Last Time:_

_Kurohana was smirking down at Retsu, but there was a certain softness in her eyes, one that showed she wasn't quite as heartless as she wanted everyone to believe. **Yume,** she began. **I believe the idiot just kicked us out.**_

_Yume gave her other half a strange look, but said nothing. When she was good and ready, Kurohana would tell her what she was thinking, and not a minute sooner. Kurohana always took things at her own pace, and hated to be rushed. _

_"With my dying will," she heard Retsu start. Both girls looked down. "I'll protect our future." _

**_~OS~_**

Retsu charged, staff raised, at the girl. He was surprisingly quiet for dying will mode, not making a sound except for his footsteps pounding against the floor. The girl's reflexes were fast; she countered before he even reached her. Their weapons clashed with a loud clacking sound.

"Do you really think you stand a chance against me?" she asked in a bored voice. "I've defeated opponents far stronger than you with my eyes closed, not to mention that before today, I doubt you've ever held a weapon."

Violet eyes met her gaze unflinchingly, flames of determination burning in their depths. "I will defeat you!" he cried, pushing forward with his weapon. The girl held her ground, but the added force on her arms was taking its toll. She re-adjusted her stance, and strengthened her hold on her staff. Retsu's opponent was so focused on the deadlock that she failed to notice his leg sweeping towards her until it was too late. The boy knocked her feet out from under her, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud.

"That was dirty," she stated as she pushed herself to her feet, apparently unfazed. "Well, I suppose that's to be expected from the mafia."

"I am not a member of the mafia!" the teen shouted. The girl raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "I am me!"

Yume, who was watching from her position above his head, sweat dropped. _What's that supposed to mean?_ she asked. Kurohana smirked, a few snickers escaping from behind her lips.

_Who knows?_ was the red eyed girl's only response. Yume glared, but her companion had already turned her attention back to the fight. _C'mon, idiot, _she silently urged. _Remember the plan._

As if he had heard her, Retsu looked down at the weapon in his hand. He remembered that he was supposed to destroy it, but how? Burn it? The boy thought about the flame on his head, and wondered if maybe he could channel some of it into his hands. Could he do that?

Almost as if on cue, a faint orange glow began to gather around his hands, answering his question. He smiled. This was a useful discovery.

He wasn't the only one who noticed though. From her position across from him, his opponent saw it too. Realizing his intentions, she did a very unexpected thing; the girl panicked. "No!" she cried, a small glimmer of fear showing in her eyes. In a desperate lunge, she reached for the staff. Retsu yanked the weapon towards him, successfully stopping the attempt, but his concentration was broken. The light around his hands began to fade.

Now it was Retsu's turn to panic. "Come back!" he shouted at his hands, trying to remember the feeling of the flames around them. The color stopped fading, and he had a moment of celebration before he was cut off by a punch aimed for his gut. He backpedaled, focusing all of his thoughts on the flickering warmth in his hands. It strengthened slowly, heating with painful slowness.

Meanwhile, the girl was aiming frantic attacks at him, cool facade gone. She could _feel_ her control over the body weakening, which meant that Retsu was succeeding with burning the metal. She had to stop him somehow, or else she'd disappear!

Yume and Kurohana could feel her hold on their body slipping too. They watched the fight with excitement.

_What do you say to helping the kid out a little?_ Kurohana suggested with a savage grin.

_I was just about to ask you the same thing._ Though much less visible, Yume's aggressive side was also coming to light at the prospect of being able to reclaim her body.

As one, they swooped forward, diving towards the fight. Each grabbed hold of one of the other girl's arms, focusing their energy into regaining control. At the spots where their hands touched, the black tattoos began to disappear, evaporating into the air before being swept away. Their captive struggled frantically, desperately trying to break free from the girls only she could see. But it was to no avail.

Between Retsu burning the staff and Yume and Kurohana forcing her out, she was weakening. Her escape attempts became less frequent. The wooden staff dropped from her grip, falling to the floor uselessly. She slumped to her knees, barely finding the energy to raise her head to face the white haired boy in front of her.

"But how?" she spat out harshly. The last of the marks were disappearing, signaling that her time was coming to an end. But she couldn't let this go. "I'm so much stronger than you. You're weak. Why did I lose?"

"I have no doubt that you would have won if it had been a fair fight," Retsu replied quietly, returning to normal now that his task was done. The charred piece of metal fell to the ground at his feet, utterly unrecognizable. That was how hot the dying will flames were. "But you lost your cool. You lost sight of your appointed task, and you got sloppy. Plus, you chose to fight all three of us by yourself."

"Three?" she whispered, barely able to keep her eyes open. "There's only you here."

_You seem to have forgotten about someone._ Yume's voice echoed in her head.

_Try two someones,_ Kurohana added. Both were safely back in the body, ready to regain it the moment that she disappeared.

"This is not the last you'll see of me," the girl threatened through gritted teeth. "Consider yourselves lucky that I was the first one you met. The others are so much more powerful, and as soon as they learn what happened to me, they'll come after you. So enjoy the peace you have for now. And be ready to die."

"Who are you?" Retsu asked. "What others?"

"My name is Tora," the girl smirked. "I am one of the 6 Zodiacs. As for who we are...well, I'll let you figure that out for yourselves." She fell forward, her last words barely over a whisper. But they all heard them. "Good luck, little Vongola. You're going to need it."

"The 6 Zodiacs?" he repeated, but it was too late. She was already gone.

**_~OS~_**

"Hm?" Jun opened his eyes groggily, unsure of where he was. The last thing he remembered was Kurohana disappearing, then an intense pain in the back of his head. Then, the world went black. He was lying on the ground somewhere, that he knew.

"'Bout time you woke up," a voice said from somewhere above him. An annoyingly familiar voice.

"Kazuki?" the sprinter tried to sit up, but was hit with the most intense headache he'd ever felt. He fell to the ground with a gasp, clutching his head in pain.

"You okay?" the blonde asked worriedly.

"No, I'm not okay!" Jun snapped. "I just got hit in the back of the head with a metal staff! How the hell do you think I feel?"

"Jeez, you're mean when you wake up!" Kazuki complained. Jun was about to retort, but his attention was caught by something going on across the room. He lifted his head, temporarily ignoring the ache in the back of it, to look over. His companion followed his gaze, seriousness apparent on his face. "Oh, that."

Kurohana was kneeling a few feet in front of Retsu. They were talking about something, but the conversation was too quiet for the two to hear. The girl swayed once, then fell forward, a smirk on her face.

"6 Zodiacs?" Retsu asked, but received no answer. He kicked what appeared to be a burnt piece of metal, swearing colorfully. Then, he remembered them. "Kazuki? Jun? Are you guys okay?"

"Why do people ask that question?" Jun asked to no one in particular. "It's completely redundant!"

"Sorry," the white haired boy muttered. "You don't have to be so mean about it though."

"Oh, he's just cranky when he wakes up," Kazuki said cheerfully.

"Retsu," a squeaky voice called from behind them. "I think you should take a look at this."

He walked over, then looked to where Reborn was pointing. He was gesturing to the girl's hands, and Retsu gasped at what he saw. Imbedded in them were tiny silver spikes, each no more than a half a centimeter wide. The skin surrounding the spikes was blackened, and the coloring showed no signs of disappearing. She hadn't woken up yet, which led the teen to believe that something was wrong.

"What are those?" he murmured. The other two boys had followed him, and were now gaping at the wounds too.

"That's not normal," Kazuki pointed out, for lack of anything better to say. Jun was too shocked to even comment on the statement.

"Reborn, what should we do?" Retsu asked, feeling panic rising up in his chest. Wasn't this over yet? They'd beaten Tora, so what was was going on?

The baby was silent for a moment. "Take her back to your house," he finally ordered. "There's someone there who may be able to help."

* * *

**And thus, the Demon Arc comes to a close. But Yume and Kurohana's story is far from over. Who are the 6 Zodiacs? What was Tora? Is Yume going to be okay? Some of these questions will be answered next chapter (hopefully).**


	13. Poker

**Hello, good people of FF! I should probably be doing my HW now. But I don't feel like it, so I'm writing this instead. Lucky for you guys, huh?**

**We are now at 36 reviews, and it's only chapter 13! This makes me incredibly happy. But we can't become complacent. No, please continue to review. I know I've probably said this before, but reviews are good motivation.**

**dotYui:**** I just finished what's out for Liar Game, and now I have to wait for more! Why? I want to know what happens next! *goes and sulks in a corner* Moving on, HW is the cause? Who could have guessed? That's the one and only good thing about it. For your question, read on.**

**Fuuki Inchou Ange:**** Yes, Tora does mean tiger. All the Zodiacs are going to be named after their respective animals, and I will tell their meanings at the end of the chapter from now on. And in case you're wondering, yes, I do know that there are twelve Zodiacs. But I only needed six, and I did ****_not_ want to come up with twelve more OC's. I'm far too lazy.**

**Blakk Magic:**** I read your story, and I like it. I think that when you have a minute, you might want to check over the grammar a little, but other than that, it's good. Very interesting plot. My computer died just before Christmas. This one's new. Actually, when I don't feel like getting my computer, I read stories on my Ipod too. If I don't keep the suspense up, it won't be any fun to write (or read). ^^**

**YaoiFanGirl2ndnature:**** Hopefully, you won't have to wait too long. Thanks for the review!**

**For any of you wondering, no, I am not stupid. I know that there are 12 Zodiac animals and star signs. I just only needed six. **

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 13: Poker

They rushed back to Retsu's house, any plans that they may have had earlier disappearing from their minds. After all, this was far more important. Yume's very survival could depend on this. The girl in question was still unconscious, slumped against Jun's back. He had slung her over his shoulder the second he had heard the news, ignoring any protests from Retsu, who looked just as beat up as the sprinter. They were all beginning to feel their injuries, but they ignored the pain.

Retsu thought back to Reborn's words.

_Take her back to your house. There's someone there who may be able to help._

Who could that possibly be? Daisuke? But then he'd have to explain to him what happened, and for some strange reason, he just couldn't see his brother believing the story easily. He was having a hard time believing it, and it had happened to him. Besides, would he even know how to treat whatever was wrong with his friend? Retsu doubted that he would.

Lost in thought, he didn't realize that they were back at his house until his brother came running out, worried.

"What happened to you guys?" he cried. "Were you in a fight? Is that Yume-chan?"

Retsu had only had Yume over to his house once, so he was surprised that Daisuke remembered her name. Then again, she was a very recognizable person.

"Eeeh?" drawled a quiet voice from behind him. "These are the people you wanted me to look at, Reborn?"

"Wha?" Daisuke jumped out of the way, startled, to reveal the young man behind him.

He was tall, probably a little over six feet, with long black hair that fell down to his waist. The stranger wore loose black pants under a green Chinese robe that reached halfway down his thighs, and he was carrying what looked like a thin wooden pipe. Mischief glittered in his black eyes, but the rest of his features were set in a calm mask.

"It's good that you could make it, Jing," Reborn said. The man, Jing, chuckled.

"I needed an escape from my busy schedule," he replied airily.

"U-um, Reborn?" Retsu tried, and almost flinched when everyone turned to stare at him. "Is this the person who you said could help?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"A manner of speaking?"

"I only treat something if it looks interesting," Jing supplied, pushing a stray piece of hair out of his eyes.

"You should take a look at this girl's hands then," Reborn pointed to Yume's still form.

"Oh?" The man walked over to her, grabbed one of her hands, and turned it over to examine it. His eyes widened fractionally. "I don't know if I've ever seen this before," he admitted.

Reborn smiled.

"Take her inside, and I'll see what I can do," Jing told Jun. The boy nodded, and walked in through the open front door. Everyone else filed in afterwords, leaving only Daisuke and Retsu behind.

"Ne, Retsu, who was that guy?"

"You mean you don't know him and you still let him in the house?!" Retsu exclaimed. He was happy the guy was there, sure, but still, children at the age of six already knew not to let complete strangers in. They taught that in school, for heaven's sake! "Do you want to get robbed?"

"No," Daisuke muttered, hurt. "He said he was Reborn's friend."

"Reborn is what, five?" Retsu continued with his rant. "Why would he have a friend like that?"

"I don't know." The man had resorted to sulking, as usual when he was being yelled at. It was an unfortunate habit that he'd never quite gotten rid of.

Retsu gave him an unsympathetic look, then walked into the house with a sigh. Daisuke followed after him reluctantly. Hearing voices from the living room, the two brothers quickly followed the source of the noise to where their guests had situated themselves. Yume was laid out on the floor on a blanket, with Kazuki and Jun hovering over her worriedly. Reborn was sipping tea, seemingly completely relaxed with the situation, and Jing was bent over one of the girl's hands, studying them intently.

"It reminds me of _that bullet's_ effect, but I've never seen such strong symptoms," the man finally said.

"She wasn't shot," Reborn replied. Jing nodded, as if he'd expected that.

"I think I know what to do, but it'll be painful for her." At this, he gave a pointed look in Retsu's direction, seemingly asking for permission.

"Why're you looking at me?" the teen asked uneasily.

"I just assumed you were her boss. Was I wrong?"

"Yes!" he replied instantly. "She's just a friend."

"I see," the man mumbled, unconvinced. He shrugged, turning back to Yume. "Sorry about this, kid," he said, reaching for his pocket. He pulled out a small bottle, filled to the brim with shimmering blue liquid. The top was equipped with a spray-on cap. "But this is gonna hurt."

With his free hand, he grabbed the top of one of the spikes, and, after a slight pause, began to pull it out. The reaction was immediate. Yume tried desperately to pull her hand away, strangled cries of pain erupting from her throat. She moved from side to side, shaking violently.

"Hold her down!" Jing ordered, wincing slightly when one of her flailing legs came in contact with his side. Kazuki and Jun hurried to comply.

After what seemed like an eternity, the tiny metal sliver was out. He spritzed some of the blue liquid on the now bleeding wound, and the blackened skin began to return to normal, much to Retsu's relief. Yume's struggles stopped, and she seemed to relax immensely. Her breathing quieted, and she was silent.

"You did it!" Kazuki exclaimed.

"Let's hope so," Jing stared down at the spike in his hand with distaste. "But it's not over yet, remember?"

The soccer player deflated visibly, finally recalling the other nine slivers. "Oh yeah."

"This is going to be a long night," the black haired man sighed.

**_~OS~_**

Jing's prediction proved to be all too true. For the next several hours, the group could only watch as the man pulled the spikes out of their friends hands, hoping that she'd be okay. Each one seemed to hurt more than the last. She'd stopped screaming around the fifth, apparently losing her voice, and had dissolved into pained whimpers. It was almost too much to watch, but they all stayed. Why? Because they were her friends. They had to.

"_Now_," Jing said, placing the last of the slivers in the ashtray he'd been offered to keep them in. "We can say that it's over." He sprayed the last of the liquid on her hands, then began to bandage the wounds with deft, practiced motions. When he finished, he sat back to admire his handiwork with a long sigh. "How tiring," he breathed out.

"What now?" Kazuki asked nervously.

"We wait," the man answered sleepily. "You guys can go home if you want."

"No," he and Jun responded at the same time. They didn't even seem to notice, which proved how serious they thought this was.

"I told my parents I was sleeping over here," Jun explained.

"Me too," Kazuki nodded.

In any other circumstance, Retsu would have been worried about whether or not they even had enough room for all of these people, but today, he honestly didn't care. His mother wasn't going to be home that night, or tomorrow night either for that matter, so he wouldn't have to explain it to her. They'd work out something.

"Does anyone want to play a game?" Jing suddenly asked, breaking the silence that had settled over the room.

"A game?" Retsu echoed.

"Yep!"

"Which one?" Daisuke asked. Jing gave him a sly smile, then, out of seemingly nowhere, he pulled out a deck of cards.

"Poker!" he shouted happily. His statement was met with a variety of emotions, from disgust to excitement.

"Sounds fun," Reborn answered for them.

So that was how the three friends and Daisuke found themselves, two hours later, seated at the coffee table, pouring over their cards. Jing had won the last five rounds, and Jun and Daisuke were out of chips.

"I'll raise the bid by two," Jing said cheerfully. He was obviously getting some kind of sadistic amusement out of all of this.

Retsu's brother looked back and forth between his cards and the steadily growing pile of chips. "I fold," he sighed in defeat.

"You sure?" the other man raised an eyebrow. Daisuke sent him a dirty look.

"Yes, I am."

"Well then, I guess it's time to show our cards," Jing decided. The three boys nodded, then showed their hands. Kazuki had a full house. Retsu had one pair of tens. Jun had three of a kind.

Jing had four of a kind.

"Dammit!" Jun swore, throwing his cards on the table.

"Crap," Retsu agreed, eying his last three chips uneasily. Kazuki was strangely quiet throughout all of this.

"Onto the next hand?" the black haired man asked.

"No, I quit." Retsu said, leaning back in his chair.

"And you?" Jing turned his attention to Kazuki.

"I'm game if you are," the blonde smiled.

"Perfect."

Jing dealt the cards, and they traded in the ones they didn't like. Then, the betting began. One. Two. Five. Twenty. The numbers kept going up and up, escalating to ridiculous proportions. Eventually, the two players ran out of chips. It looked like no matter what happened, this was going to be the last round.

"You ready?" Kazuki asked.

"Always." Jing showed his hand first. A straight flush. "Well, it would appear that I win," he smiled, reaching for the chips.

"Not so fast," Kazuki interrupted, grinning devilishly. "I believe I haven't shown my hand yet."

"That doesn't matter," the man scoffed, before coming to a realization. He stiffened. "Unless...no, that's impossible. You couldn't have."

"Couldn't have what?" Kazuki asked innocently. "Gotten a royal flush? Well, I beg to differ." He flipped his cards.

A royal flush.

Jing stared back and forth between the cards and Kazuki with a look of utter disbelief. "But you, you...how?"

"Guess I'm just lucky." The soccer player shrugged. His opponent continued to stare at him, shocked, for a moment before fully recovering. The corners of the man's mouth lifted slightly, and his features relaxed into a smile.

"You know what? I like you," Jing announced. "I want you to be my disciple."

"Huh?" Now it was Kazuki's turn to be surprised.

"I'm going to teach you everything I know, about both martial arts and how to cheat when you play cards."

"I knew it!" Jun cried, jumping out of his seat. "You did cheat, didn't you?"

"Maybe," he replied vaguely. "You have no proof."

"I don't need proof!"

"What do you mean?" Jing asked, backing up towards the living room's doorway.

"Stay still and I'll show you."

"Thanks, but no," the man said before sprinting out. An enraged Jun followed, hot on his heels. There was the sound of breaking glass, and Retsu hurried after them.

"Hey, this is my house!" the boy exclaimed. "Don't break anything!"

Kazuki remained in his seat, laughing, as he pulled a few cards out of his sleeve. A two, a four, and a nine, all of different suits. Certainly not to be used to make a royal flush. But when switched with the face cards he's had in his sleeve previously...

"I think I'll learn how to cheat in cards fairly easily," the blonde chuckled to himself.

* * *

**A nice happy ending to an otherwise not so nice chapter.**

**By the way, Tora means Tiger in Japanese. So she's the tiger of the Zodiac. Also, for how poker hands work, go to wikipedia or something. It'll tell you, and it's fairly simple.**


	14. For All of Their Sakes

**Okay, I know this is later than usual, but I actually have a semi-legitimate excuse this time. I didn't get to work on the story this weekend because I was watching the Dew Tour! For those of you who don't know (which is probably all of you), the Dew Tour is a fairly big pro skiing/snowboarding tour, and it's awesome. One of my friends got VIP passes, so I got to watch the Men's Superpipe Finals from the VIP section, and let me tell you, it was amazing! Way to go Simon Dumont, who won the event, and Josiah Wells, who won the overall thing! Who's counting down the days to the Olympics? I know I am! Vancouver 2010!**

**Okay, moving away from things you guys don't care about to things that only a few of you care about: review responses! 5 for this chapter, which is awesome!**

**YaoiFanGirl2ndnature:**** This update wasn't as fast as the last one, huh? Oh well. Yes, Kazuki was evil there. **

**dotYui:**** What else would you do, actually worry? ^^ Well, if you must know, I'd have to say that if you cheat well, you probably will win the game. But not in the deeper, proverbial way that you mean. You've been to Los Vegas? That's awesome! And you won. Also awesome. Jing probably will be a bit of a mix of both, but I hope to make him original in his own way. Kazuki may have cheated, but it was for a kind-of-not-really-but-it-was-totally-worth-it cause!**

**Fuuki Inchou Ange:**** Thank you. I'd actually planned that out from the beginning, when I thought Jing up, but it's great that it was still unpredictable.**

**zingobingo4:**** You have an interesting name, that's for sure. I like it. Glad you like the story, and the characters. Yume and Kurohana are very popular. Thank you!**

**monochromez:**** Yeah, those spikes don't exactly sound fun, do they? I'm happy that you like Jing! I know, it's hard coming up with OC's! I've got most of the characters I'll need for quite a while thought up, but I keep changing them around! Thanks so much! I don't mind bad language at all. I'm glad that you like Kazuki. He's fun to write. Also, I read your story, and I wasn't kidding in my review. I really do like it. You write so well! **

**And that's it. I'm going to warn you now, but I'm planning for this fic to be very long. I don't even know how long yet, but I figure, hey, the actual KHR has a pretty ridiculous amount of chapters too, so why can't this? Not that I'm complaining about how long the manga is, because I love it, and will be sad when it actually is over. I was just putting that in.**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 14: For All of Their Sakes: A New Guardian

Retsu woke up the next morning feeling like he'd just been run over by a truck. His entire body ached, he had a pounding headache, and for a minute, he couldn't remember why. Then, it all came back to him. Yume, Kurohana, Tora, the fight, Jing's appearance, and the card game. Everything after that was kind of a blur. He vaguely remembered drinking something, then passing out. But why?

He tried to sit up, and almost cried out in pain when his entire body protested against the movement. His back had bandaged by Dai last night, that he knew, but the knowledge didn't stop his back from hurting. That, coupled with his headache, made his body go into open revolt, and he slumped back into the couch, unable to move.

"God dammit," the boy muttered irritably, but went silent when he heard the voices coming from the kitchen. He was lying ungracefully on the sofa, and from there, he could hear the conversation that was coming through the open door from the other room.

"I see," he heard Jing say thoughtfully. "So that's what happened. And you're _sure_ she wasn't shot by anyone?"

"Yes, I'm positive," was the squeaky response. Retsu's eyes widened in response. Were Reborn and Jing talking about yesterday? His interest piqued, the teen relaxed, listening intently.

"Then it was those spike things in her hands," the man said, more to himself than Reborn. "But how'd they get there? The kid's pretty oblivious, but even he would have noticed spikes sticking out of his friend's hands, right?"

"Don't be too sure of that."

He realized there were talking about him, and scowled at the insult. Bastards.

Jing chuckled softly, but there was a bitter edge to the sound. "No, I'm sure he would've seen them. So what happened?"

"They must have come from the staff," Reborn mused.

"I guess. What'd the kid do to that thing anyways?" the man asked, sounding both impressed and surprised. "When I went back to take a look at the place, all I found was this burnt piece of metal." There was a clanking sound, and Retsu could only assume that he had tossed the remains of the weapon onto the kitchen table.

"Isn't it obvious?" the baby responded. "He burned it."

Jing whistled in appreciation. "The more I learn about that dying will flame of you Vongola's, the more impressed I am." His voice dropped to a low whisper, and the boy on the couch had to strain to catch his next words. "When I was looking around, I found something else." There was a rustling sound, and then the crinkling sound of a paper bag.

"Drugs?" Reborn sounded mildly surprised.

"Heroin, to be precise," his companion supplied. "A whole stash of it. There's no way it was legal." Retsu couldn't help it; he gasped out loud, alerting the two to his presence. He mentally kicked himself, seeing as his body wasn't letting him move enough to physically take the action.

"Retsu, you shouldn't eavesdrop on others conversations," his tutor scolded from his position on the arm of Retsu's couch. How he'd gotten there so fast, the boy had no idea.

"How much did you hear?" Jing asked, walking up behind Reborn.

"Right from when I finished telling you what happened," the baby answered for his student. Both males gave him surprised looks.

"How did you know that?" Retsu asked, curious despite himself. He shouldn't have asked.

"As a hitman, my hearing has been fine tuned, so that I can hear the quietest of noises," Reborn answered. "I could have heard you waking up from Italy."

"That's a lie," the teen said immediately, and received a slap to the face as punishment.

"Don't talk back to your tutor."

"I-" he was cut off by a loud yawn, and a groan of pain.

"My head hurts like hell!" Jun cried. Kazuki, who had also just woken up, nodded, then rubbed his temples to emphasize it.

"It does?" Jing asked innocently. The black haired teen shot him a death glare, but made no attempt to move from his spot on the floor.

"This is your fault, isn't it?" he barked.

"Whatever do you mean by that?"

"You spiked our drinks, didn't you?!"

"Spiked is such an uncultured word..."

"That's not a denial."

"It wasn't supposed to be," Jing smiled. "I admit, I did put a small bit of sake in your drinks last night. I didn't think you would all faint like that though. Lightweights." The last word had a mocking hint to it.

"In case you hadn't noticed, we're _minors_," Jun gave an exasperated sigh. "If I didn't feel like shit right now, I'd come over there and bash your face in."

"Yes, because that worked oh so well last night," the man said disdainfully, recalling how the boy had chased him around for close to half an hour and never once landed a hit.

"I could've beat you," the teen muttered sulkily.

"I suppose it may have been possible if I was blind, deaf, tied down, and unable to use my legs."

"I hate you."

"I know." The uncomfortable silence that filled the room was broken by the sound of rustling blankets. Their attention immediately turned to where Yume slept on the floor. The girl was waking up, and looked no better, if not worse, than the rest of them. She looked around sleepily, silver eyes scanning the room warily. They landed on Retsu, and widened with shock.

"Retsu-chan?!" she exclaimed, trying to sit up. The pressure on her hands proved to be to much, and she fell back down, cradling her hands to her chest.

"You are Yume, right?" the boy asked. She stiffened, then turned to face him, the familiar cloudy cast of her eyes not quite masking her nervousness.

"Yes..." she trailed off, staring at the floor.

"I believe you owe us an explanation," Reborn chimed in. Yume gave him a pained look, but his face remained as emotionless as ever. "What does the soul replace bullet mean to you?"

She was silent, and for a moment, it seemed as though she wasn't going to answer. "You really want to know?" she finally whispered, looking up, not at Reborn, as would be expected, but at Retsu. He didn't know what else to do, so he nodded. Yume sighed, running a hand through her messy hair. "Alright. Here goes nothing

"Reborn-chan's guess was kind of right," she admitted. "I assume you all saw those spikes in my hands? Well, those were coated in a residue with similar effects. With the soul replace bullet, the maker can essentially manufacture a soul of sorts, put it in someone's body with a specific task, and the new soul will take over and carry out the task. It's that simple." She paused, and, when no one said anything, continued.

"The original owner of the body is given no say or choice in the matter. As Retsu knows, in my case, I was even kicked out of my own body. I don't know if that would happen to anyone else, or if I'm just a special case."

"I kind of don't get it," Kazuki said when she paused yet again.

"Me neither," Retsu agreed.

"Think of it as an advanced type of hypnosis, only you have no control, and the thing that does has a mind of it's own," Yume explained. The two boys nodded, so she moved on.

"That staff was given to me by my father, who..." she stopped, searching for words. A pained look flashed across her face, but it was quickly gone. "Who disappeared last year. He was a maker of those bullets, so I guess I was a guinea pig of sorts." Her voice was bitter as she finished, but it appeared as though she was done.

"Is that all you know?" Reborn asked.

"Yes," she answered, refusing to look at any of them. "For the rest, you'd have to ask the girl who took over yesterday."

"Tora," Retsu said quickly.

"Yes, Tora," she nodded without looking up. "She seemed to know something. More than me, anyways. That wasn't the first time she's shown up. I would have random periods where I would just blank out, usually in the middle of a fight. But I've never been aware of what happened, like I was yesterday. I don't know what happened then, but whatever it was, it's never happened before."

"Interesting," Jing raised his eyebrows, and Retsu could practically see the gears in his head turning at this new information.

"I'm sorry I've caused you so much trouble, everyone," Yume said quietly. "As soon as I'm better, I'll leave-"

"What?!" the white haired boy yelled. She shrank back, obviously shocked. "Why?"

"I don't want any of you to get wrapped up in any of this," she replied.

"That's not a reason to leave, idiot," Restu said flatly. The girl finally looked up, and in her eyes swirled a thousand emotions, ranging from sorrow to hope to shock. "Stay here. You're not getting us into any more trouble than Reborn is."

"That's it!" Kazuki exclaimed. Five pairs of eyes turned to the excited teenager. "You should join Retsu's family!" he grinned. "It'll be more fun with you in it!"

"F-family?"

"Wait a second. Hold on," their friend cut in. "I don't have a family! And what's with you randomly inviting people? You can't just-"

"I'd love to!" Yume said, practically bubbling over with happiness. Her eyes were shining, and she was smiling joyfully.

"I wholly approve," Reborn said, smirking. Jing smiled and clapped. Jun just shrugged.

_Why am I surrounded by such weird people?_ Retsu thought helplessly. Then, he looked at Yume, and some of his resolve melted. After what she'd been through, she deserved a little happiness. And if that meant playing along with this crazy situation for just a little longer...

Then maybe, just maybe, he'd find a way to live through this. For all of their sakes.

* * *

**And thus, Yume joins the family. And you know what that means. *drum roll* Question time! The question is the same as the last two times: **

**What is Yume the guardian of?**

**Those who guess right will receive cookies! (Not really, but, hey, you can hope.) ^^**


	15. Moonlit Talks and Concerts

**Disclaimer: I bet you thought I'd forget this, didn't you? Well, you would be wrong! I do not own KHR, as we all know very well.**

**My updates may not be regular for a while. I'm going on a short vacation, and I'm not positive they have internet where I'm going. I think so, but I'm not sure. Just a warning!**

**I bet those of you who guessed are dying to know if you were right or not. Or maybe you're not, but I'm going to tell you anyways. First off, congratulations yet again to dotYui! You got it right again! Partial credit goes to stealthclaw, who said the answer in their review. **

**The answer is rain. That's right, Yume is the rain guardian. Some of you may have trouble visualizing that, but I promise, it will all work out. Or, at least, it does in my head. Congrats once again to the winner and partial winner, and thank you everyone else!**

**To continue with my always absurdly long author's notes, responses! Actually, I've got a question first. Do you guys like that I respond, or not? Because I can stop if you don't really care about it. I just do because...well, because I do, I guess. *shrugs***

**stealthclaw:**** Indecision's hard isn't it? I don't know why, but your review kind of made me laugh, so thanks for that. And so fast too!**

**Reborn22:**** Mist, huh? I guess I can see that, but as always, I have someone very...interesting planned for that role. **

**dotYui:**** Wow, you've gotten two out of the three right. Good job! I don't know how clear I am about who they are, but I don't want them to just be copies of the previous guardians. I kind of just want to see what you guys think about them, you know? I do like skiing, but I only know all the stuff about it that I do because my sister's on a ski racing team that practices every weekend, so I go to the mountain whether I want to or not. I try and make the best of it, which isn't hard. It's pretty cool most of the time.**

**monochromez:**** Yes, it was awesome, and friends are full of win! Your weekend sounds cool too. I love snowball fights. Only two more days left until the Olympics start! You write really well. We all make mistakes when we write. I've made a bunch, even if you don't notice them. I do, and I hate it. But we're not perfect, and since I do like your story, you must be doing something right, huh? ^^ I like writing and reading funny stuff, so I tend to try and put a lot of banter-ish dialogue in when I can. As for the heroin, no I'm not crazy, there is a reason for it. All (okay, more like some stuff) will be clarified in this chapter, and with it will come more questions. It's not fun to read otherwise. You had a good guess, but I'm saving that role for someone special. You can't see her as rain? How come? Not that I mind, I just want to know your thoughts on it!**

**Now, on to the story!**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 15: Moonlit Talks and Concerts

The rest of the day was normal. Or about as normal as it could get with Reborn around. Yume insisted that she'd be fine with moving as long as someone would help her up. She then proceeded to walk over to Retsu's now-abandoned couch, lay down, and fall back asleep. Typical.

Jun had to go home for a while early in the morning, but he was soon back with a large armful of books. When asked about them, he said that he'd stopped at school to get their homework for the day, and to make up some excuse about why they weren't there. Retsu was not pleased with having to do work when he wasn't at school. Reborn was happy because his student wasn't.

Kazuki also stopped home for a while, but he didn't go alone. Jing tagged along for some mysterious reason, and when the two returned, he was wearing a very pleased smile. Apparently, he was now rooming with Kazuki and his father. The blonde's mother worked overseas, and returned home maybe once every four months, so only the two of them actually lived in the house. His father hadn't objected to it, as long as Jing helped around the shop and kept Kazuki out of trouble. He had no idea what the Chinese man would be dragging his son into.

If Retsu had expected a day of rest due to his injuries, he was, as usual, disappointed. Reborn had brought out some TNT and a buzzer, and had somehow devised some sick form of jeopardy with it. Long story short, whenever Retsu got a question wrong, which was often, one of the TNT's would explode. It was quite painful, to say the least.

After that though, the day relaxed into one of those laze-around-the-house kind of days. Yume woke up on occasion to ask for some food or water, or just to talk, but for the most part, she slept. The boys played a few more rounds of poker. Daisuke, who had left the house at some obscenely early hour that morning, returned at around five o'clock and joined in.

They ate dinner, and their guests announced that they would once again be sleeping over. Retsu just assumed that Yume was too, seeing as he didn't want to wake her up or make her walk home with her injuries. After dinner, they watched a movie, during which they all fell asleep. Once again, the owners of the house didn't have to worry about sleeping arrangements for their guests.

It was a nice day, very peaceful. Retsu hoped that everything could stay like this forever (minus the dynamite). Just relaxing with his friends, having no worries other than school. He'd even managed to almost forget the events of the previous day. If only this peace could last.

Wishful thinking.

He woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of movement in the kitchen. He looked around sleepily, checking to see who it was. Everyone seemed to be there. Retsu did a quick headcount. Four, including himself. Reborn had gone upstairs at some point during the movie, so it might have been him in the kitchen.

Wait a minute. Four? He recounted. Himself, Jun, Kazuki, Jing, Yume...

Yume! He stood up quickly. She shouldn't be moving around by herself right now. Especially not in the kitchen. She was just as injured as the rest of them, more, in fact, if you took her hands into account. The boy followed the sounds to the kitchen, intending to ask her to go back to bed.

When he reached the room, the first thing he noticed was that no lights were on. That was strange. Wouldn't she need light to find what she was looking for? He scanned the room, and almost immediately found the girl. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, though it did barely anything to restrain the wild mess. She had been bent over in front of the fridge when he came in, but seemed to have found what she was looking for - a soda.

She opened it lazily, turning to face him as she did so. It was then that Retsu noticed the atmosphere. It was less obvious than last time, but the air still buzzed slightly with barely contained violence. Scarlet eyes met his uneasy stare, and he stiffened. Kurohana.

"Don't worry, Vongola brat," she yawned lightly, then took a sip of her drink. "I'm not in the mood to fight with you right now. Too late at night."

"O-oh," he stammered lamely, unsure of what to do. "That's good."

The girl rolled her eyes, then sat down at the kitchen table. She regarded him curiously. "You can sit, you know."

Retsu hastily grabbed a chair, thinking of the oddness of having to be invited to sit in his own house. _Well, my life's always odd,_ he mused silently. The two sat in an uncomfortable silence as Kurohana finished her drink. She sighed.

"Let me give you a warning for the future," she began. When he looked up in surprise, she glared, then quickly added, "Not because I actually care. It's just that I hate being in debt to anyone, especially to people like you. Think of this as repayment. Also, now that you've dragged Yume into your little world, I have to watch out for her. After all, if she dies, I die with her, and I don't want that to happen."

When he didn't look like he was going to say anything in return, she continued. "Anyways, I'm going to warn you about something. Trouble's coming. I can sense it, and I think you could too, if you tried. Call it intuition, or whatever you want, but you'd better listen to me."

He nodded.

"Be careful around those you trust," she said. "They might not be who you think they are." With that cryptic message, she stood and walked to the door. Retsu, who had been speechless up until this point, finally remembered what Jing had said he'd found in the dojo yesterday.

_Heroin, to be precise. A whole stash of it. There's no way it was legal._

"Wait!" he cried. She turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" Kurohana sounded kind of irritated, but he had to know.

"The dojo from yesterday," he said. The girl's face remained emotionless, but her eyes betrayed her interest. "Jing went back there, and he said he found some illegal drugs, heroin, I think. I just want to know something. Did _you_ know about that when you attacked them?"

A look of surprise crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced with mild amusement. "Now how could I possibly have known something like that? Don't go making me out to be a hero. I just wanted a fight."

He didn't know why, but something inside him was telling him not to believe her. Maybe it was the way she wasn't looking at him, or how she'd looked after what he'd said. Hell, maybe it was even the intuition she'd been talking about only moments ago. But he did know one thing, and that was that she was lying.

"You're lying," he stated, surprised at his own boldness.

Kurohana's lips twisted into a small smirk. At that exact moment, a cloud that had been covering the moon moved, letting the rays escape down to Earth. The light streamed in through the window, illuminating the two, yet at the same time, creating shadows that contrasted sharply with their skin. It glinted off her eyes, almost making them sparkle.

"Who knows," she said mysteriously as she stepped out of the light and back into the living room. When Retsu followed moments later, he found her back on the couch, sleeping as if nothing had happened. But he knew something had. And he couldn't get her warning out of his head.

_Be careful around those you trust. They might not be who you think they are._

What, or who, could she have meant?

**_~OS~_**

Yume returned to school a week later. She'd stayed at Retsu's house for the entirety of her absence, and by now, she was practically part of the family. The girl had said it was too lonely at home because she lived by herself. Retsu's mother had then offered to let her stay with them for as long as she wanted. Now, the teen was afraid his friend would never leave.

Her first day back dawned clear and sunny, though a little chilly. They walked to school together, but as they were passing by the shopping market, Yume stopped. Apparently, something had caught her attention. That something was the large crowd gathered in front of a newly-erected outdoor stage.

"What's that about?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," Retsu recalled sheepishly. "Some big celebrity's coming to give a concert here in a few days."

"Why here?"

"Hell if I know," the boy shrugged.

"Namimori's not that popular of a place," Yume mused, perpetually cloudy eyes scanning the scene in front of her. There was an unfamiliar poster hanging from a telephone pole near them, and when one lived in the small town of Namimori, _nothing_ was unfamiliar. So of course that was what interested her.

It was a dramatic picture, that was for sure. It showed a skinny black figure against an orange background. The only thing that wasn't darkened in about the person were the eyes, which were the same color as the background. Jagged green letters spread across the top and bottom of the poster, spelling out a name and a date for the concert.

"Raito?" she read off uncertainly. "Izumi Raito. Ever heard of him, Retsu?"

"I think so. The girls in our class really seem to like him."

"I see," she was strangely quiet, before saying, "I want to go."

"What?"

"To the concert. Can we all go?"


	16. Izumi

**It's so nice here! For anyone who forgot, I am on vacation right now, and it's gorgeous here! 75 degrees and sunny! I'm so jealous of the people who actually live here. Back where I live, it's frigid cold and cloudy. (That's right, cloudy. Not even cold and snowy. Just clouds.)**

**Anyways, like I said, this update is irregular. I have some free time right now, and am writing because I feel like it. You got to love vacations!**

**On to responses.**

**Blakk Magic:**** You didn't? I'm trying to make it clearer, but I guess I'm not doing a very good job of it. T.T Oh well. I'm glad that you like them, because I plan to continue with responses, as this indicates.**

**dotYui:**** Those are some interesting ideas. You're right though, my lips are sealed. No spoilers from this authoress (hopefully)! Thank you, and I hope you have a great vacation too. Unless you're not on vacation right now, in which case, I feel sorry for you.**

**Reborn22:**** You sound very sure about Daisuke. For the answer, you'll have to read on and find out.**

**monochromez:**** The Olympics started a few days ago, and so far, they're pretty good. What's your favorite event in the Winter Olympics? I can't even decide on mine. You can't keep a story going without leaving a lot of questions to be answered, but don't worry; I have the answer to most of them already planned out. Who is the person he can't trust? You'll just have to find out. I'm glad you can see it. That means that I did an okay job of introducing her then. ^^**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 16: Izumi

"Is this guy really that popular?" Kazuki whistled with appreciation at the sheer size of the crowd gathered before them. He surveyed it for people from school, and quickly found that a large part of the student body was indeed present, boys and girls alike.

"I guess so," Retsu answered, also quite impressed.

"The girls at school don't shut up about him. How could you two not have noticed?" Jun grumbled. "All I ever hear from them is _Raito_ this and _Raito_ that. It's pretty annoying." Yume nodded in agreement.

"He's fairly new, isn't he?" Jing chimed in, causing the four friends to jump.

"When'd you get here?" Jun cried, a hand flying to his heart. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I saw Kazuki leaving the house, early in the morning on a Saturday, and decided to tag along." The Chinese man began to pout. "I feel left out. How could you guys not invite me?"

"Easily," Retsu muttered. Jing either didn't hear or pretended not to, so he turned back towards the stage, where the band was setting up. The main focus of the concert had yet to make an appearance.

"This seems as good a spot as any," Yume decided. "I'm starving, so I'm going to get some food. Be back in a minute."

"Didn't you eat before you came?" Kazuki asked.

"Yes," was her only response. The soccer player gave her a puzzled expression.

"She's always hungry," their white haired friend explained ruefully. "Seriously, all she does is eat and sleep. A completely worthless free loader."

"That's mean," Yume said, mocking hurt. "I was going to get you something, but not anymore."

"That's fine by me. I was planning on coming along anyways," Retsu replied, unfazed. "I figured you might need some help."

"I don't think I want your company," she stuck out her tongue, then ran off, trying to blend into the crowd. He hurried to follow, weaving through it with decidedly less ease. Yume reached the edge, then took a sharp right towards some of the shops. He sped up, hoping to catch her before she completely disappeared. His mother was expecting him to look after her, and she probably wouldn't take kindly to the news that he'd lost her.

He rounded the corner without dropping his pace, and ran straight into somebody. Both people fell to the ground with a thud, Retsu rubbing his nose, the other cradling their shoulder.

"I'm so sorry about that," the teen apologized, looking up to face them. It was another boy, probably around his age, maybe a little younger, with shocking orange hair and eyes to match. His messy hair was kept out of his eyes by a rolled up green bandana around his forehead. His face was all sharp angles and striking features, which were currently set in a smile.

"It's fine," he assured. "It was my fault anyways. Guess I wasn't lookin' where I was goin'." Retsu knew that they'd never met, as he was pretty sure he didn't know anyone with an accent like that, but at the same time, he seemed strangely familiar.

The other stood up, then extended a hand to the violet eyed teenager on the ground. Retsu stared at the hand dumbly for a second, then, recognizing what it was for, reached for it with the hand that had previously been cupping his nose. It came away stained with blood.

"You're bleedin'!" the orange haired boy exclaimed, stating the obvious. "Oh my god, is that my fault? I'm so sorry!" He ran into one of the many stores around them, and came back out with a handful of napkins, which he immediately shoved at the bleeding teen.

For some reason, despite the situation, Retsu found the entire thing kind of funny. He held one of the napkins to his nose, the source of the blood, laughing quietly. "It's just a bloody nose," he said through chuckles.

"I-I know, but still," his companion blushed, staring at his feet. "How can ya be so calm about it?"

"What's not to be calm about? I used to get a ton of these when I was little. I was pretty clumsy back then, and still am now. Although," he added with a wry smile. "This is my first one in a while." He laughed again, and this time, after a moments hesitation, the boy joined in. When the laughter died out, the boy plopped down on the ground beside Retsu.

"Oh, by the way, I never got your name," Retsu recalled, turning to face him. "I need to know who it is I'm turning into the police later for inflicting bodily harm."

The other looked stricken, and a few more chuckles escaped.

"Just kidding," he said reassuringly. "You need to lighten up a little."

There was a moment of silence, then the boy spoke up. "You're nice. What's your name?"

"I believe I asked you first," Retsu teased.

"Oh yeah. Sorry!" he exclaimed, drawing another smile from the white haired teen. The younger boy's antics were quite amusing.

"I'm only kidding," Retsu raised a hand. "My name's Retsu. Nice to meet you."

"You can call me Izumi. Pleasure's mine," the boy said, and they shook.

"Wait, Izumi?" Retsu repeated. Izumi stiffened. "As in the rockstar, Izumi Raito?"

"Eh?" He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "Oh, um-"

"There you are!" a voice interrupted him, saving him from what was shaping up to be a very awkward moment. Surprisingly, he didn't look happy though. No, he almost looked...scared? Angry? Maybe a mixture of both. Either way, it was not a pleasant expression. A man came up from behind them, from the same direction Izumi had come. "I've been looking for you all over the place! Where were you?"

"I just wanted to take a look around," the orange haired teen muttered. "Ya don't have to be so protective all the time, Shiro-san. I'm not gonna run away."

The man, Shiro, opened his mouth as if he was going to say something in response. Just then, however, he seemed to notice Retsu. The boy met his gaze evenly, and they studied each other for a brief moment.

Shiro was a big guy, but he probably didn't have an ounce of fat on him. It was all muscle. He seemed like the kind of guy who you never wanted to run into in a dark alley in the middle of the night. Or in a park in the middle of the day. His black hair was cropped close to his head, and his glaring brown eyes probably could have frozen hell over. Retsu could see why Izumi would have been scared of him.

"Who's this?" the man grunted.

"Nobody important." Retsu raised an eyebrow at the other boy's quick response, but chose not to comment. They'd met, what, five minutes ago? And by bumping into each other. He could see why he was nobody important, but still, the words stung a little. He'd thought they were getting along pretty well, but maybe not.

"Hmph," he seemed unconvinced. "Whatever. We have to go back now. The show starts in twenty minutes."

"Alright," Izumi pushed himself to his feet and followed the large man back towards the direction they'd come from. He didn't look back until Shiro turned the corner. Then, just before he did the same, he turned towards Retsu and mouthed four words. "Sorry again, an' thanks." He flashed a crooked grin, and after a second of shock, Retsu returned the look.

"Hurry up!" A muffled call came from around the corner.

"Coming!" Izumi ran to catch up, but just before he disappeared out of sight, his eyes widened in surprise. A girl with a wild mess of brown hair had come up behind Retsu, and they were now talking. It couldn't be...why would she be here? The girl was probably just a look-a-like, nothing more. But was it really possible to duplicate how _she_ looked? And if it was her, why was she near Retsu?

Questions swirled through the singer's brains, and very few of them had answers. Any answers he gave only added more questions to the whirling mess inside his head. He was only broken out of his thoughts when they reached the stage, and Shiro rested a hand on his shoulder. To anyone else, it would seem a comforting gesture, but Izumi knew better.

"You got something on your mind, little Ryuu?" the man whispered in his ear. The sudden closeness sent an unpleasant shiver up the boy's spine, but he quelled the urge to pull away. That would signify weakness, and only server to reenforce the thought in Shiro's mind that Izumi was weaker than him. Besides, even if he felt the need to share his suspicions, which he did not, Shiro was the absolute last person he'd ever tell.

"Nothing of consequence, stupid Chuu." Izumi's answer was accompanied by an irritated glare, before he shrugged the others hand off him. "Now if you don't mind, I've got a show to preform."

**_~OS~_**

Retsu watched as Izumi darted after the man with a bemused expression on his face. _Those two_,he decided, _were weird._ Just as the thought crossed his mind though, he heard a female voice called his name from behind.

"Retsu," Yume said as she trotted up to stand beside him. "What are you doing on the ground?"

"Nothing," the teen replied as he stood and brushed himself off. He walked over to the nearest trash can and threw out the bloody napkins. "I just ran into someone, that's all."

"Why were you bleeding?"

"I got a bloody nose when we crashed."

After a quiet moment of consideration, the girl tilted he head slightly, and smiled up at him with her usual calm, relaxed smile. "Clumsy," she teased. He rolled his eyes in response.

"Don't I know it," he said, then began walking. "We'd better get back to the concert. It's starting soon."

She only nodded in response, too busy with shifting the large paper bag in her hands into a more manageable position. Retsu absently reached into it, pulling out an onigiri.

"Hey, that's mine," she complained.

"Think of it as atonement for making me run across half the town and giving me a bloody nose."

"The bloody nose isn't even my fault!"

"It was indirectly caused by you," he responded calmly.

"Was not!"

* * *

**Kind of a more relaxed ending, but that doesn't get rid of the cliffhanger. Who are Izumi and Shiro?**

**For the record, Chuu means ox and Ryuu means dragon.**


	17. First Mission

**I'm back! Unfortunately, I'm also back in school. *cries* Now that I got that out of the way, we can move on. This chapter just did not want to be written. Ever have that feeling? I guess it probably happens to everyone. Well, either way, it's here now. This isn't my best work, in my opinion, but I don't hate it. **

**1 review? Really guys? (Not that I'm not grateful to the person who did, and if that's you, just skip over this cause I don't want to offend you.) I probably shouldn't get my hopes up too high, but I like to have at least 2 per chapter. I'm a little disappointed. Don't you know that reviews motivate authors? ...Alright, guilt trip over. **

**dotYui:**** Once again, you're awesome. Don't know what I'd do without you. And you live in a cold desert? Okay, this might be a stupid question, but does it snow a lot in deserts? I'm kind of curious.**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 17: First Mission

The adoring screams of the fans still echoed in Izumi's ears as he stepped behind the thick stage curtain. The backstage work was in full swing, stagehands and workers alike routinely doing their jobs with practiced ease. He caught a water bottle that was thrown at him, and turned to face the thrower, Shiro. The boy raised an eyebrow, unscrewing the bottle's cap and taking a deep gulp that drained half the contents. Still feeling the others eyes on him, he gave the man an annoyed glance.

"Well?" Izumi asked coldly, dislike practically dripping off the word. The older male bristled, but chose to ignore the tone.

"New job," was the curt response.

"Already? That was fast." He moved to lean against one of the many boxes littering the floor, then fixed his companion with a calculating stare. "What is it this time?"

"An assassination."

"Shocker."

"Was that sarcasm?"

"If ya couldn't figure it out the first time, what's the point of me repeatin' it?" Izumi deadpanned, then sighed. "Who?"

"It was a rhetorical question, you little..." the man mumbled a few unintelligible things under his breath, most likely insults. "Anyways, it's another one of those boss candidates."

"Once again, big surprise."

"Do whatever you want now, but I want this job done by tomorrow morning," Shiro growled. The orange haired teen's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"That's impossible," he protested. "Even if I caught a flight to Italy right now, I still wouldn't-"

"Who said anything about Italy?" A knowing smirk stretched across the man's face. Izumi felt a cold pit settle in his stomach, and he was suddenly apprehensive. "The target's right here in Japan. In fact, I believe you've already met."

"Who?" he asked, but already knew what the answer was going to be. In response, Shiro just handed him a picture.

**_~OS~_**

"That was really cool!" Kazuki exclaimed for what must have been the tenth time. After the concert, Jing had gone back home, and the four friends had decided to spend the rest of the day hanging out in the town. Or, at least, the three boys had decided that. Yume had fallen asleep pretty much as soon as Izumi had stopped singing, and, knowing that she was going to wake up eventually and be really mad at them for leaving her out of the fun, Jun had offered to carry her. "I mean, I can totally see why the girls like him so much!" the blonde continued.

"Yes, we know!" Jun snapped. "I think you've made that abundantly clear!"

"Someone's a little crabby today, don't you think?" Kazuki asked Retsu sulkily. When his white haired friend didn't answer, he waved a hand in front of the other boy's face in order to get his attention. Retsu jumped.

"What?" he exclaimed, nearly falling. The shout woke up Yume. She looked around blearily, searching for the sound of the noise. Upon spotting Retsu, she smiled, then tapped Jun on the shoulder. She was ridding piggyback style, so this was easy. The teen turned his head back as far as he could, giving her a questioning glance.

"You can put me down now," she said. He blushed lightly, quickly letting go.

"Sorry," the sprinter mumbled. Yume just laughed.

"Where are we?" The girl looked around curiously, taking in the scenery around them. They were in one of Namimori's numerous parks, surrounded by Japan's famous sakura trees. Seeing as it was early fall and not spring, the trees were sadly lacking their pink flowers, but still provided welcome shade from the day's heat. Despite the nice weather though, there didn't appear to be anyone else in sight.

"The park near the school," Kazuki answered as he walked over. Retsu trailed behind, seemingly lost in thought. "You've never been here, right?"

She thought a moment, then shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Then it's decided!" the blonde said happily. "We'll all come see the sakura blossoms here this spring! Have you ever seen them in bloom?"

"No," Yume admitted shyly.

"Well then, we definitely have to come," Jun agreed. "Speaking of sakura blossoms, have we ever told you about the old school legend? The one about the demonic disciplinary committee head?"

"Demonic disciplinary committee head?"

"Oh yeah!" Recollection dawned in Kazuki's eyes. "It's a story from, like, thirty years ago or something. Apparently, there used to be this generation of problem kids. They always skipped class, and there's a lot of really unbelievable stories about them. I heard that one of them even carried dynamite in school!"

"Really?" She was definitely interested, but then she remembered what they were talking about. "But what does that have to do with-"

"They were a really mixed group," Jun cut her off, already knowing the rest of the question. "There was a baseball player, a punk, a boxer, a wimpy kid with grades even lower than Retsu's-"

"Hey!" Retsu exclaimed in indignation, but there was no real bite to the words. Despite how far-fetched the stories about the "golden generation of Namimori" were, he liked listening to them. They were entertaining.

"_And_ the disciplinary committee head, who people say was just a delinquent who didn't get in trouble because of his position," the sprinter finished, annoyed by the interruption.

"That's cool and all, but what does any of that have to do with sakura?" Yume asked, thoroughly confused.

"He didn't like them," the blonde explained. "No one knows why, but one day, out of the blue, he just ordered for all of the sakura trees around the school to be cut down. The school was too scared of him to argue, so they did it, then re-planted them when he graduated."

"Was he really that scary?"

"I think he was," Retsu answered thoughtfully. "One time, I asked one of my neighbors about him. She had been in the same grade back then, and the minute I asked, she stiffened up in fear. I think I heard 'Hibari-san' before she made me leave."

"I'm glad we don't have anyone like that in our year," the girl admitted, then looked up at them warily. "We don't, right?"

"Um, I think we've got this really violent kid in our class this year, but she doesn't usually come to school," Jun answered. Yume gave him a surprised look, but let the subject drop. What did she care?

"Anyways, this scary guy's name was Hibari, right?" she said, not waiting for an answer before continuing with her thought process aloud. "Is there any other information on him? He sounds interesting."

"He was quite a character," a squeaky voice called from one of the the trees. The four friends looked up in unison, and were met with the sight of a piece of bark sliding to the side, revealing a small room. It looked quite comfortable, with a sofa and pictures on the walls. That is, comfortable for a baby. A small, familiar figure was seated on the couch, sipping tea without a care in the world. "Ciaossu," Reborn said with a smile.

"Reborn?!" the white haired teen exclaimed. "What are you doing there?"

"Cool!" Kazuki grinned.

"These are mechanical trees?" Yume looked puzzled.

"They're not!" Retsu shook his head vigorously, then turned to glare at his tutor. "Why do you always pop up in the weirdest of places? Like at school the other day; you came out of a fire extinguisher. A fire extinguisher!"

"That's been there for a long time," the baby scoffed. "Has it really been thirty years?"

"Thirty years?" Kazuki repeated. "And you sounded like you knew that guy personally. Did you? What was he like?"

"That's impossible," Retsu said flatly. "Reborn's a baby. How could he have known someone who was here that long ago?"

"Eh?" the blond boy looked crestfallen. "I guess you're right. I didn't think of that."

_How could you have missed it?!_ His friend thought, but didn't comment.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," Reborn replied cryptically.

"You didn't," his student countered immediately.

"Who knows."

"That's not the answer for everything, you know."

"It can be and it will," the baby said stubbornly. Retsu sighed in defeat.

"Whatever. Why are you here?" the teen asked. Reborn pulled an envelope out of seemingly nowhere, easily breaking the red wax seal and removing the letter inside. He threw the piece of paper to Retsu, who, after catching it clumsily, raised his eyebrows in shock. It wasn't the writing that caught his attention. It was the orange flame burning on the top of the page. "How's the paper not fried by now?"

"It's a direct order from the Tenth, signed with his dying will flame," Reborn said. The boy shook his head in amazement.

"This is insane."

"Welcome to the world of the mafia," Retsu could have sworn he heard a note of approval, and beneath that, the slightest hint of sadness. But when he turned his gaze to his tutor, he saw the same expressionless face. The one that gave nothing away. "Well?" the baby prompted. "Are you going to read it, or sit there and make us all wait?"

He looked up, and found Jun, Kazuki, and Yume all crowded around, anxious to learn what was going on. Retsu quickly moved his attention back to the letter, and began to read.

_Dear Retsu,_

_It has recently been discovered that there is a plot to eliminate the successors to the Vongola family. I believe you have already met with one of the suspected assassins, and have indeed befriended them. That is fine, but this threat needs to be taken care of immediately. After careful consideration, it was decided that between the remaining two eligible candidates, you were the closest to the supposed location of the criminals. As such, it is your duty to remove them, by any means necessary. Any hesitation to comply with this order will be seen as direct betrayal, and you shall be dealt with as a traitor to the mafia. You have exactly forty-eight hours. Do not disappoint me._

_Sincerely,_

_Sawada Tsunayoshi, Vongola Decimo_

For a moment, he was speechless. The letter had a decidedly colder, more formal air to it than the last one, and understandably so too. This man wanted him to get rid of the 6 Zodiacs, for he had no doubt that they had been who the letter had been talking about, in only two days?!

"What's it say?" Kazuki asked nervously. Reborn, who had jumped on to Retsu's shoulder at some point while the boy had been reading, answered.

"It's an order from the Tenth to defeat the group Tora had been talking about," he said.

"The 6 Zodiacs?" Jun recalled. The baby nodded, then turned to his student, who had begun to shake.

"Why me?" the boy asked Reborn. "I don't even want to be a successor. There are three other candidates to-"

"Retsu, there is only one other."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said back then, but the situation changed. Between when I told you and now, two others were attacked. One was never found, but his guardians were found dead on the day that he disappeared, so it is presumed that he shared their fate. The other was about your age, with no guardians yet," Retsu looked up in horror and shock at this. "She was also new to our world, but she didn't have your luck. Somehow, she managed to survive, but she can no longer fight. Irrevocable amounts of damage were done to her legs, and she is paralyzed from the waist down due to a wound on her back that severed part of her spine."

The four teenagers were silent, trying to digest what they'd just heard. None of them except Retsu had anything but a vague idea of what was going on, and they were trying to piece together what they did know. Kazuki and Jun were still ignorant to the entire world of the mafia, and Yume wasn't in much better shape knowledge-wise. Even Retsu knew barely any of what was really going on. The single thought that ran through all of their minds was: "Are we really going to be all right?"

"How could this happen?" the white haired boy muttered, head in his hands. "I don't even understand what we're trying to do. We can't do this!"

"Luckily for you, that's not something you'll have to worry about," A voice pierced through his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. Or at least, the warped reality that he now lived in. A figure detached itself from the shadows under one of the sakura trees, moving towards them. "Seeing how you're going to die today."

**_~OS~_**

"Achoo!" Sawada Tsunayoshi, Tenth boss of the notorious Vongola family, sneezed. The two men he was having lunch with looked up curiously.

"Bless you," one of them, a silver haired man in his mid-forties, said immediately.

"Someone's talking about you," the other one teased, chuckling.

"You never grow up, baseball idiot," Gokudera muttered irritably. Yamamoto just smiled in response.

A sigh escaped the brunette's lips as he slumped back into the chair. The letter should have reached Retsu by now. It was the only thing he could think of. "I haven't heard that old saying in a long time," he said, trying to take his mind of what he'd done. His two friends, however, had known him for far too long to overlook his distracted state.

"You're worried about something," Yamamoto stated. Tsuna looked up in surprise, and the man gave him a sympathetic look. "It's about Retsu, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he admitted. Gokudera sighed.

"What's done is done, Tsuna," the silver haired man said. "You can't change the past."

"I know. But I can't help wondering if I did the right thing or not," Tsuna stared at the floor, not meeting his friend's gazes. "I mean, he's like me. Dragged into this world without ever being asked, and now I've forced this upon him-"

"Don't beat yourself up over this," Gokudera reached across the table, laying a comforting hand on the others shoulder.

"Do you guys think I did the right thing?" the smaller man asked quietly. The two stared at him in surprise, then smiled.

"Only time will tell," Yamamoto said.

"And if he's anything like you, I'm sure he'll be just fine!" Gokudera added, then went back to eating.

"But that's just the thing," Tsuna whispered, so quiet that neither of his companions heard. "I don't want him to be like me."

* * *

**Finally got a bit of Tsuna, Yamamoto, and Gokudera in there, but I'm not sure about when they'll appear next. All I can promise you is that this isn't their last appearance. Remember, review!**


	18. The Best

**Hopefully, I can get back to a semi-regular updating schedule soon. It just seems that lately, everything that could get in the way of my writing happens. *sigh* I feel like the ending to this is a little rushed, but I'm tired right now, and really want to just update, so please forgive it.**

**Moving on, holy crap! From one extreme to the other, huh? 7 reviews this chapter! I'm so happy!!!(overload of exclamation points ^^)**

**Blakk Magic:**** Long chapters aren't my strong point, and I really respect authors who can put like, 6,000 words in a chapter and still have it turn out really well. I try to make up for it by updating fast, but that sometimes doesn't work. Is your computer back up yet, or is it still broken?**

**dotYui:**** Snowing and raining in the desert, huh? Interesting. I think it's called a desert because of the amount of precipitation you get a year, right? (Yeah, I feel smart cause we just learned that in school.) I just figured that after thirty years or so, Tsuna would get tired of Gokudera calling him Tenth, so I just had him use his name. I couldn't resist putting in Hibari's part, and it seemed like a good enough way to bring in Reborn.**

**zingobingo4:**** Thank you, and I'm glad you liked the part with the guardians. I just really wanted to bring in Tsuna eventually, and now seemed like as good of a time as any.**

**Fuuki Inchou Ange:**** Geez, everyone's computer is breaking lately. The Mac in my house was having problems recently too! (I always write on my laptop, so I'm not really effected.) I'm still deciding on Tsuna's part in the story.**

**Rikulz:**** I'm glad you like it, and don't worry; as you can see by my responses, I go on rants all the time. I love all the guardians, but yeah, Hibari's probably my favorite too. You're not the only one who likes Yume/Kurohana best, trust me. Your prediction is...well, just read on and see! Thanks for the review!**

**Reborn22:**** Le gasp, indeed. Hopefully, you think the fight's good. Wait, did I just give a mini-spoiler? You know what, never mind. :p**

**monochromez: Yeah, a long review! Reading this made me really happy for some reason. I just love long reviews, you know? And it's okay, you don't fail! At least you review, unlike someone... *points to self* Uh, anyways, I agree. Classes fry my brains too. My vacation was nice, but now I'm back in school. T.T I love all the sports too, but the Olympics are ending tomorrow! Can you believe that? I'm kind of sad now. Glad you like Izumi. The accent was just completely on a whim for me. Jun can be nice when he wants to, and it's not a chapter without a little bickering. Loved writing about the guardians, and I'm glad you like the chapter. It gets better towards the end, but the first half was torture to write. My backspace key got a lot of use, to put it shortly. Your praise makes me happy, and wow, this response was long! Sorry!**

**Sorry that was so long, but it needed to be done. Onwards!**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 18: The Best

_Last Time:_

"_How could this happen?" the white haired boy muttered, head in his hands. "I don't even understand what we're trying to do. We can't do this!"_

"_Luckily for you, that's not something you'll have to worry about," A voice pierced through his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. Or at least, the warped reality that he now lived in. A figure detached itself from the shadows under one of the sakura trees, moving towards them. "Seeing how you're going to die today."_

**_~OS~_**

"W-what?!" Retsu reeled back, away from the ominous person before him. He could tell that the stranger was male from the voice, but anything else was a mystery. They were dressed in all black, from their cargo pants to the ripped black jacket thrown over an equally dark T-shirt. The only visible color on them was the green backpack slung over their shoulder. The hood on his jacket was up, covering the person's hair and eyes.

"Who are you?" Jun asked sharply, taking a fighting stance. Kazuki followed suit, and Yume unconsciously made a grab for her staff before realizing she no longer had it. She gritted her teeth in annoyance, then brought up her fists, silver eyes searching the intruder for any signs of movement. Reborn stayed right where he was, quietly observing the newest addition to the group in the park.

"Ya don't recognize me?" The person's voice lost it's cold, clipped tone, slowly relaxing back into a familiar accent. "And I always thought I was a pretty conspicuous person." It was an accent that Retsu recognized from earlier that day.

"Izumi-san?!" he cried. The other male smirked, throwing back his hood to reveal the orange hair and eyes beneath.

"The one an' only," Izumi confessed. Kazuki, Jun, and Yume had a moment of shock, then turned to give Retsu questioning stares. He ignored them.

"This is a joke, right?" the teen asked shakily. The orange haired boy shook his head.

"'Fraid not," he answered. He retained a light tone, but the words were tinged with real regret. "Orders from up top, ya know?"

Something clicked into place in Retsu's brain at the statement. "You're one of them, aren't you?" Retsu realized. "The 6 Zodiacs."

Unknown to him, Reborn's eyes narrowed slightly at the name, and he reached for Leon.

"You catch on fast." Izumi, also oblivious to the baby's movements, sounded impressed. He held up a hand when he saw the teen's mouth open to ask something else. "I know ya must have a lot of questions, but I'm sorry to say that I'm in a bit of a rush, so if you could just let me kill ya, I'd be very happy."

"What?!" Retsu cried. "No!"

"Well that's too bad, cause I need you to die, whether ya approve or not," he stated, reaching for one of his backpack's straps. The four friends tensed, and Izumi frowned. "I'm not trying to kill you three. You can leave."

"No chance," Kazuki said, and the other two nodded in agreement. The boy shrugged.

"Alright. Remember, you asked for it," he sighed. With a deft, practiced motion, he hoisted the backpack over his shoulder and swung it in a wide arc. Ebony blurs shot from it, flying in all different directions.

Kazuki tackled Retsu to the ground, and the projectiles flew overhead with a sharp, whistling sound, severing a few strands of hair from the blonde's ponytail. Jun barely managed to avoid getting hit twice in the arm, and as they passed, he just made out sunlight glinting off a blade. "Watch out!" he yelled. "They're knives!"

Yume jumped, then ducked, easily dodging two, but a third blade grazed her arm. She winced as a small trickle of blood made it's way down her arm. "I realize that," she gritted out.

The rain of blades let up just as suddenly as it had begun. Retsu pushed himself up slowly, surveying the area around him. Curved black knives stuck out of both the trees and the ground, all with their green hilts facing out. Luckily, none of them had hit his friends, with the exception of Yume's arm. "You missed," he said, looking to Izumi. The boy wasn't there.

"Pay attention, Retsu," Reborn called, just as Izumi materialized behind his student, a knife in each hand. Kazuki saw the other boy first, quickly pushing Retsu out of the way before rolling to the opposite side himself, avoiding the attack. The blades thudded into the dirt, and the orange haired boy, without pausing once, whirled to catch the punch Yume threw at him. He grabbed her arm, effortlessly flipping her over his shoulder so that she landed on the dirt with a grunt of pain.

The singer heard the tell-tale whistling of one of his weapons flying towards him from the left, so he stepped back to avoid it. The blade just scratched his cheek, and his eyes widened in surprise. He turned to face the source of the throw.

Jun was crouched near one of the trees, three more knives in hand. The two locked eyes, and Izumi grinned. "Ya have good aim," he admitted.

The black haired teen gave no indication that he'd heard for a minute. Finally, he responded curtly, "When you grow up in a house like mine, your aim's got to be pretty good."

"Sounds like there's an interestin' story behind that," Izumi commented. The sprinter shrugged, then threw another blade. This time though, the orange haired boy was ready, and he caught it easily.

"This," he said, pointing at his cheek. "Ain't gonna happen again."

"Doesn't have to," Jun smirked, and that was when Izumi heard the sound of running footsteps coming from behind him. He turned, bringing up his arm just in time to block Kazuki's kick that was aimed at his face. He bit back a gasp of pain, instead opting to grab the other boy's leg. The soccer player's eyes widened almost comically in surprise when Izumi spun, throwing Kazuki towards his black haired friend. The two collided with a thud, the impact knocking the weapons out of Jun's hands. They flew back until they hit a tree with a loud cracking sound, then slid to the ground. Neither made any move to get up.

"Three down," Izumi looked around, taking in the three now-motionless forms before turning back to Retsu. "One to go."

"Hey," Reborn, who the singer had all but forgotten about, walked up to Retsu and slapped him. "Wake up, stupid Retsu."

"Reborn!" the boy cried. "What was that fo-" He was cut off by the gun barrel being lined up with his forehead. He froze.

"In order to live, you must first die," the baby stated, then fired.

An orange flame ignited on Retsu's forehead as he fell, growing bigger at an alarming rate. _The dying will bullet!_ Izumi realized with shock. _This must be what _he_ was talking about!_

"REBORN!" the usually quiet teen bellowed, determination pouring from him. His T-shirt and shorts practically exploded off him, leaving him in only his boxers. He pointed a finger at a very startled Izumi. "You!" he cried. "I will defeat you with my dying will!"

"E-eh?!" To his credit, the other recovered fast. He jumped back a few feet, immediately wary of the new boy was now charging at him, fists raised. Izumi grabbed a second knife out of a tree, throwing it at the violet eyed boy.

Retsu dodged to the side, losing no speed in his mad dash. He brought up his fist to punch the singer, but Izumi ducked, running to the side. The boy followed after, and for a while, they just ran around like that, with the orange haired boy occasionally grabbing a new knife and throwing it. In a final burst of speed, Retsu caught up to the smaller boy, grabbing him by the collar.

Izumi spun, raising one of the weapons in his hand. Retsu was too fast though, and he knocked the blade out of his grip, then threw the other teen to the ground.

He hit the dirt hard. Before he had a chance to get back up, Izumi felt a hand close around his throat, and froze. Retsu was kneeling over him, applying just enough pressure to keep the other boy in place, but not enough to choke him. They were still, and for a moment, the only sound was that of the wind.

The silence was broken by the sound of metal hitting earth: Izumi had dropped his remaining knife. "Guess this means I lose, huh?" he asked weakly. Retsu didn't reply, and he took the lack of response as a sign to continue. "So, ya gonna kill me now?"

The white haired boy's eyes narrowed, and his opponent closed his eyes in defeat, content to sit back and wait for the inevitable. So he was very surprised when the hand disappeared from his neck, and he heard Retsu standing up. Izumi opened his eyes in surprise, to find the older teen standing above him. The flame on top of Retsu's head flickered once, then guttered out, and he returned to normal.

"No, I'm not going to kill you!" he exclaimed, and would have continued, had he not heard Kazuki groan as he picked himself up, and remembered his injured friends. "Guys! Are you alright?" He turned his back to the shocked boy on the ground, immediately running to his friends.

Izumi vaguely heard Jun snapping at the soccer player about something or other, but he was too busy questioning why he was still alive. _Why didn't he kill me?_ the boy wondered. _I certainly gave him enough reason to._

He was broken out of his reverie by the sound of someone plopping down next to him, and he moved to stare at them curiously. It was Yume, holding her injured arm and regarding him with equal curiosity.

"Why did you think he was going to kill you?" she asked. The orange haired teen shrugged. Now that the adrenaline rush from the fight had passed, he suddenly felt very tired. This always happened after a hard fight, but it was further intensified by the feeling of relief that now swamped him. Despite his loss, he felt almost...peaceful.

"Don't know," he said through a yawn. "I just kind of expected it from the mafia."

"Retsu's different," the girl said firmly, and he nodded in agreement.

"Tell me," he started, and she looked at him expectantly. "Is he a good boss?"

Yume turned her gaze to where Retsu was helping a laughing Kazuki to his feet. Jun was also standing up, and he looked to be yelling at his blond friend. The white haired teen was trying to calm the sprinter, and all together, it made a very relaxed picture. She smiled warmly.

"The best."

"I see," Izumi smiled, then shut his eyes, succumbing to sleep.


	19. A Mother's Love

**Another day, another chapter. It feels good to be writing again, after the stress and boredom of the school day. Sigh.**

**Ah, reviews. How happy you guys make me! And they were longer than usual too! I love long reviews.**

**dotYui:**** I don't care if you don't like the Olympics! That's completely your choice, and everyone's entitled to their opinion! I'm more of an outdoors person myself, but as you can see by my update schedule, I spend a fair amount of time indoors. I like writing fight scenes, but they take me forever to write. For example, I'll be going at an awesome pace for the chapter, it'll be half done after only an hour, and then I'll get to the fight scene and be like "What now?" And I won't like what I actually do write until four tries later, so it's hard. You're not bad at writing fight scenes! Single fights will come, I promise. And soon. I guess that would work, but I kind of just chose the first 6 zodiac animals I saw, so whatever.**

**monochromez:**** Reviews just keep you going, you know? I'm a soccer player myself (I love it so much), so I'm waiting on the World Cup, but I totally know what you mean. Counting down the days. Only 100 left!^^ I love talking, so I don't mind at all. Still, if it really bothers you, just PM me, and we can talk all you want. Thank you, and I'm glad you like the fight scenes and the dialogue. I'm just super motivated for this right now. I'm drawing a complete blank on my other stories, and I'm mad about it! Fic exchange? Don't yell at me, but I don't know what that is. Sorry, but I'm new. :P Still, it sounds interesting, and I'm pretty much up for anything right about now (except for working on my other stories T.T).**

**Rikulz:**** Glad you're happy. I wasn't really modeling him after anyone, but Bel's awesome, so comparisons are just fine with me! I haven't really been keeping up to date with the anime and manga lately, because I've been so busy with this and that. I'm planning to recap who all the guardians are once I've gathered them all. ...That could take a while, so it's good that you're keeping track. I love cliffhangers (when I'm writing them)! They're just such a great way to end a chapter (once again, for me). ^^**

**Reborn22:**** I'm glad you like it! Collonelo? Yeah, I guess you're right. Didn't think of that.**

**I'm going off on a tangent with those responses lately! Hope that's okay with you guys. Now, though, you can enjoy reading the chapter! _I_ have to go do HW. Wish me luck. *drags self away crying***

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 19: A Mother's Love

"Another one?" Akimura Mayumi asked tiredly, staring at the skinny orange haired boy her son was supporting on his shoulder. She had no idea what to make of the recent events surrounding Retsu. It used to be that the only person he ever brought home was Amatsu. But now, his injured friend was staying with them, and here he was with another unconscious kid at 9 o'clock at night. What was going on?

"Mom, I'm really sorry-" her youngest son started, but she cut him off with a sigh.

"No, it's fine. He can stay for a while," she said. Relief lit up his face, but it quickly disappeared when she started talking again. "On one condition." Retsu gulped. "You have to tell me what's going on with you lately. I mean, it's great that you're making more friends and all, but I don't want you involved with anything dangerous."

The boy was hit with an overwhelming sense of guilt. How was he going to explain this to her? He could only imagine her reaction.

"_Yeah, about that. Mom, my tutor's actually a child hitman working for the mafia. He's training me to be the boss of one of the biggest criminal organizations in the world. But hey, no big deal, right?"_

Retsu shuddered, not even wanting to envision what her response would be. A frown made its way onto his face involuntarily. Mayumi saw this, and after a moments thought, she sighed.

"Fine. I can see you don't want to tell me, and I can understand that," she said in defeat. "Yes, the kid can stay. Just please, would you at least talk about it to Dai?"

He nodded reluctantly. Her expression softened, and she reached over to ruffle the teen's hair. She had to get to the station soon, or else the train would leave without her. Still, she always had a little time for Retsu. Sometimes, she worried that he was a little attention deprived. With her always leaving for a case somewhere, and her husband's death a few years ago, the boy was probably lonely. So that was why she wasn't stressing the issue.

Mayumi was many things, but heartless definitely wasn't one of them. Despite how she could sometimes be harsh on him, she did want Retsu to be happy. Lately, even though his behavior was a little odd, the boy did seem to be genuinely enjoying himself. Ever since that child tutor had shown up, he seemed to be opening up more, and becoming more mature. Yet another thing she had to thank Reborn for. Really, the baby who was standing beside her son in the entryway was a miracle worker.

"Don't lie to your old mom," she teased. "I thought I brought you up smarter than that."

Retsu gave her a sheepish smile, but it was plain as day that he was relieved she'd let the previous subject drop. "Don't know what you mean," he replied innocently. His mother snorted.

"There you go again," she shook her head, turning to Reborn. "Since this idiot son of mine can't be trusted, I'm counting on you to look after him while I'm gone," the woman winked.

"Yes mama," the baby nodded solemnly. Retsu shot him a glare, before turning back to his mom, just then noticing the bag she was carrying.

"You're going somewhere?"

"You bet!" she grinned. "I got a last minute case this morning. It's in Tokyo, so I'll be back in a few days."

"Okay," he replied. Mayumi pulled him into a quick, one-armed hug, careful to avoid the boy leaning on her son's other side.

"Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone," she warned. Retsu looked down at his feet guiltily, and she sighed once again. "Alright then. Be careful while I'm gone, okay?"

He nodded, and she tightened the hug for a moment before letting go and heading for the door. "Have fun," she called over her shoulder as she walked out.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that," he muttered to himself, readjusting his hold on Izumi. "You're heavier than you look," he grumbled even though the other couldn't hear him.

"Talking to yourself is one of the first signs of insanity," Reborn commented, to which Retsu rolled his eyes.

"You're no position to talk about others being crazy," he sulked, heading for the living room so he could dump Izumi on the couch. How had he gotten stuck with taking care of him? Oh yeah; he'd volunteered.

_**Flashback:**_

"_So what do we do with him?" Jun pointed at Izumi, who was now sleeping on the grass beside Yume. "We can't just leave him there."_

"_We can't?" Kazuki asked. "Why not?"_

"_Because he might just be our only way to find out where the rest of the 6 Zodiacs are," Yume answered as she stood and walked over._

"_Oh," the blonde nodded understandingly, watching Izumi curiously. "But you know, he didn't seem like such a bad guy."_

"_You mean, of course, other than the part where he attacked us?" Jun dead-panned, and the soccer player shrugged. _

"_Yeah, besides that."_

"_I know it's weird, but I kind of agree with Kazuki," Retsu admitted. "I bumped into him earlier today, just before the concert. He seemed nice enough," he explained when he was met with three curious gazes._

"_Then you're volunteering to look after him?" Reborn concluded._

"_What? No, I-"_

"_Thanks a million, Retsu," Kazuki cut him off. "I don't have anymore room at my house."_

"_I never had any from the start," Jun chimed in. "So thanks."_

"_I'll go back to my apartment then," Yume offered._

"_But I didn't-" he tried to protest, but was once again interrupted, this time by Reborn._

"_Alright, then you should all go home," the baby said. "You can all meet back up and discuss your plans for this at school tomorrow, after a good nights rest."_

_He was met by three nods, and the group split up, headed off to their respective homes. That left only Retsu and Reborn._

"_Well, get going," the tutor ordered._

"_Get going with what?"_

"_Bringing him home, of course."_

_**End Flashback**_

Retsu stared at the motionless form now slumped on the couch before him.

"So, do I just leave him here?" he asked.

"Unless you plan on staying up all night," was Reborn's only response. He was already dressed in bright yellow pajamas, and was was heading upstairs to go to sleep in the small hammock he'd hung up in Retsu's room.

"A simple no would have sufficed," the white haired boy grumbled, but the baby was already out of hearing range.

"Retsu, is that you?" Daisuke's voice called from the door.

"Yeah," Retsu answered. "We just got back."

"Cool," the man said, walking into the room. He noticed the shock of orange hair behind his brother, and craned his neck to the side in order to get a better look. Daisuke stopped dead upon seeing who it was.

"Dai?" his brother tried, mildly surprised at his brother freezing. "You okay?"

"What? Oh, I'm fine," Daisuke replied lamely. "I-is that another one of your friends?"

_Not exactly,_ the boy thought. "Yeah," he said out loud. "He's staying the night. Are you sure you're alright? You look kind of pale."

"I'm fine, really," the brown haired man assured. "Must have been something I ate. I think I'm gonna go to sleep now, just in case."

"Um, okay," Retsu replied, confused, but once again, the person it was directed at was already out of hearing range. "Now what was that about?" he asked the air, not expecting an answer. After a minute, he just shrugged, turning to Izumi. "You think he recognized you from the poster?"

**_~OS~_**

"Morning," Kazuki called from where he was waiting at the school gate. Jun grunted in response; he wasn't really awake until ten. Retsu waved, then almost fell forward when a hand collided with his back from behind.

"What was that for?!" he cried, turning to face his assailant. It was Yume, smiling mischievously.

"Morning, boss," she greeted him cheerfully. He just trudged off towards the school, muttering under his breath. Reborn, who was riding on his shoulder, was chuckling.

"Serves you right for being caught off guard."

"Shut up."

"Was that really necessary?" Jun asked, watching as his white haired friend received a punch in the face from the baby on his shoulder.

"No," she replied.

"How can you be so calm at a time like this?"

"A time like this?"

"We're about to go fight a group we know next to nothing about, who've apparently already defeated eight other people just as powerful as Retsu." he pointed out.

"Yeah. Truth be told, I'm so nervous I don't even know how to express it," Yume admitted.

"But-"

"If I don't act normally, I think I'd turn into a nervous wreck," she said quietly.

The sprinter raised an eyebrow, then nodded. He could see the sense in that. Sort of. "I guess that makes sense," he mused. By now, they'd caught up to Kazuki and Retsu at the gate, seeing as the two boys had been nice enough to wait for them.

"Hey guys," Amatsu called as he walked up from the opposite direction. "Retsu, you won't believe what I just saw."

"What?" the white haired boy asked, curious.

"Your brother," the bespectacled teen replied. "He was heading towards the warehouse district of town, you know, the part that always has those rumors of gang violence going around."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and that's not all," Amatsu said. "You should have seen the two people he was with. One was this really big guy with black hair. Looked like he got his hair cut from the military, and his eyes! They scared the shit out of me! But the interesting one was a pretty girl in a short red kimono. God, she looked like a model, but she seemed really cold. Either way, they were kind of weird."

"You're sure this was Dai?" Restu asked.

"Yeah, and he was talking to them. Well, the big guy anyway. What'd your brother say his name was? Um, Shiro maybe?"

Retsu froze. The description, and the name. The guy who was with Izumi! "His name was Shiro?" he asked. His throat suddenly felt really dry, and he could feel the curious gazes of his friends.

"Yeah, I'm almost sure," Amatsu affirmed. "Hey, you alright?"

"Just fine." Retsu couldn't help but smiling wryly at the sudden sense of d_éjà vu_ he was getting. This was almost the exact same conversation he'd had with Daisuke last night. Daisuke. "Guys!" he exclaimed, whirling to face his other friends. They started in surprise. "I think I know where we can start looking for them!"

"Where?" Jun asked.

"The warehouse district!" he yelled in response, running off. Reborn was smirking, obviously happy that the boy had figured something out for himself. Kazuki, Jun, and Yume exchanged surprised looks, then shrugged.

"You wanna just go with it?" Yume prompted. The two boys nodded, and they ran after Retsu, wondering just what they were getting themselves into.

Amatsu, who had been left behind, just stared after them in shock. "Was it something I said?" he finally said to no one in particular.


	20. Meet Usagi

**Disclaimer: I think of this as more of a place marker now, just in case you missed the chapter title and number. ^^ If I didn't own it five chapters ago, why the hell would I own it now? Seriously, the answer's not going to change. I don't own KHR!**

**Wow, chapter 20. I'll be honest, I didn't know if my short attention span would allow me to get this far. Also, lack of inspiration could have happened, like with every other fic I write. But surprisingly, it didn't happen here, and I couldn't be happier! ...I just jinxed myself, didn't I? I got to say, and I know I've said this before, I don't really this chapter. Fillers really aren't my specialty, and that's kind of what this is.**

**Anyways, responses!**

**dotYui:**** You forgot about Amatsu? That's understandable. I don't bring him in a lot, do I? Well, whatever. His time will come eventually (I think). I can't answer your guess on who he is, because that would be giving spoilers, which I don't want to do. I'm glad you can tell the two apart now, because they're both important. Yes, Kazuki is happy while Jun has an angrier personality. You're not wrong!**

**Rikulz:**** Thank you so much! I'm so glad you thought it was funny, because I was kind of worried that it was too serious. I've read and watched Air Gear too, and I love it! It's just such a cool concept/story in general. Okay, so I'll try to catch up (key word: try). Yeah, I don't like recaps either.**

**Fuuki Inchou Ange:**** You're back! Don't you just hate it when you're computer crashes on you? It's so annoying! (I should know, seeing as this is my second computer in less than five years, after having to fix the first one four times!) I'm glad you like them, and that you think they're original. It's just so hard to make good OC's for KHR, you know?**

**monochromez:**** Yeah, I love soccer, though playing's more my thing than cheering. When I'm sitting out though, you're right, it is really easy to get hyped about cheering. So baseball, huh? Haven't played that in a while, but I like watching it. Yes, it was Daisuke, but I think some stuff is coming that will surprise you. I kind of base how Reborn talks off one of my friends, who says stuff like that all the time. He's cool. Are you forgetful too? Because I am, and my partners for projects get mad at me cause of it. T.T**

**Reborn22:**** The I told you so dance? I use that on my siblings all the time! ^^ The suspense is killing you, huh? Well, you're going to hate the ending for this one then.**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 20: Meet Usagi

"So what have you got planned?" Kazuki asked. They were a fair distance from the school now, and Retsu had slowed down enough to let his friends catch up.

"I...I don't actually know," he admitted sheepishly. "I just heard Amatsu talking about that Shiro guy, and remembered he was the man with Izumi. It was the only lead we had, cause Izumi hadn't woken up yet when I left the house this morning."

"Oh. Okay," he smiled, accepting his answer. Yume walked up, and was about to join into the conversation when they heard a shout from behind them.

"Can you guys wait there for, like, a minute?" Jun called, already halfway through the gate in front of him. "I need to get something from my house."

"_This_ is his house?" Kazuki asked as they watched their friend disappear into the building. His eyes were almost bulging out of his head in surprise.

"Yeah," Retsu nodded, having already been there once or twice. "Why?"

"It's huge!" Yume cried, answering for the soccer player. And it was.

The house was four stories tall, and the entire property probably covered half a block. An elegant lawn stretched out in front the towering building, with a large garden off to one side and something that looked suspiciously like a archery range on the other. The targets were peppered with numerous small holes, and the hard-packed earth a few yards away from them seemed to be quite old and beaten down. The house itself was white, with numerous windows and balconies. Thin pillars stretched out in front of it, supporting the overhanging roof. Altogether, it made a very impressive sight.

"Who'd his parents blackmail to get this?" the blonde finally asked.

"The prime minister," a sarcastic voice answered dryly. It was Jun, leaning against one of the black gateposts. He raised an eyebrow in mild surprise when they all jumped. "What?"

"N-no, sorry," the violet eyed teen answered, scratching the back of his head. "It's just, well, I almost believed you there for a second."

"You're kidding, right?" When the sprinter received no response, he sighed in annoyance. "C'mon guys. My parents obtained this house through entirely legal means, okay?"

Reborn, who had stayed strangely quiet through all of this, smirked. "We know. Takahiro Jun: son of Takahiro Seijuro, two time Olympic gold medalist in the 50 metre pistol(1)."

"That's...right, but how'd you know?" Jun looked both surprised and confused. "I mean, I've never told you. Not that I know of."

"You think just anyone's allowed to join the Vongola?" the baby's grin widened. "I've run a thorough background check on all of you."

"Wait, what?" Retsu cut in before he could say anything else. "Reborn, you didn't, did you?" The person in question made no move to defend themselves. The boy groaned. "That's just not right! You can't go around doing stuff like that! It's a complete invasion of privacy!"

"Date, date(2)," the tutor pouted. "It was to protect the family."

"Don't pull that baby act!" his student exclaimed.

"Tsuna didn't believe it either," Reborn recalled. "You can both be so heartless at times."

"Heartless?" Retsu exclaimed, and was about to yell something else when he noticed a small green object rolling up to his foot. It was long for it's size, and curling at the end. "What the...?" he was cut off by the large hammer that landed on his foot only seconds later. It took a second for the shock to register, but the reaction when it did was spectacular. "OUCH!" the teen cried, hopping on one foot while holding onto the other, injured one. "Ow! Ow! Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"That wasn't me," the hitman said. "Leon did that all by himself."

After a few more loud expletives and pained cries, Retsu had finally calmed down enough to hold a semi-intelligent conversation. "I'm sure," he hissed. "If you're going to come up with an excuse, at least make it believable."

"I'm not joking," Reborn said seriously. "Leon's tail seems to have fallen off. I was afraid this would happen."

"Afraid what would happen?" the boy asked, all anger disappearing upon hearing the others rarely serious tone. If even Reborn was taking this seriously, it couldn't be good. "Do chameleons even lose their tails?"

"Normal chameleons may not, but Leon is abnormal," the baby said.

"If he hangs out with you, he must be," Retsu muttered. "But I still don't see what's so bad about that."

"Leon's tail only falls off right before my current student is about to face a trial which has the potential to kill them," Reborn stated.

"...That's all you had to tell me about it?" the white haired teen asked after a minute. Reborn raised his eyebrows fractionally, an incredible display of emotion for the infant.

"You're taking this surprisingly well."

"Well, I already knew that this mission was dangerous," Retsu told him calmly. "So what-" he was interrupted, yet again, by a green tail wrapping around his arm. He looked up curiously, and blanched at what he saw. The thing that was now latched onto him was Leon in electric eel form, about to drop into a bowl of water. "No, don't-!" Too late. A shock ran through his body, electrocuting him and the air around him. The boy fell to the ground when it was over, blackened and disoriented, but shockingly, not seriously injured. "You did that on purpose," he accused, slowly sitting up, brushing the soot off, and fingering his singed clothing.

"No I didn't," the baby insisted.

"That's bullshit." A hammer crashed down on his foot again, and the stream of loud curses resumed.

"Now _that_ was on purpose," Reborn smirked. "No swearing."

"I'm going to kill you!"

Yume grabbed his arm to hold him back from attacking the infant, quickly changing the subject. "Anyways, Jun-kun, what's that you're holding?"

"Oh, this?" he held up the object in question, a wooden staff. "It's actually for you."

The girl blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Uh-huh," Jun looked away, embarrassed. "I know it's not what you're used to, but-"

"No, no!" she corrected him hastily. "I'm really happy that you'd do that! Just surprised."

"Well, my dad's a big advocate of self-defense, so he had us all learn how to use some sort of weapon when we were little," the black haired teen explained. "We've got a ton of stuff like this lying around the house. Seriously, we're probably better stocked in there than an armory. If you guys ever need any of them, feel free to ask. Most of 'em are just lying around now, since my siblings moved out."

"Siblings?" Retsu echoed. The other boy nodded.

"Yeah, I got two older ones. A brother and a sister," he replied. "They're both in college. I think Mamoru's pretty close in age to Daisuke."

That brought him back to reality. For a moment there, he'd been able to forgot what they were doing in the first place. Now, though, he couldn't ignore it. "We should probably get going now," Retsu suggested.

"Un," Kazuki agreed. The other two just nodded, and after a moment of hesitation, they headed off again, this time at a more sedate pace.

"So," the soccer player began after a while, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over them. "You got anything for me?"

"No," Jun's reply was immediate and terse, apparently having used up his capacity to be nice.

"Why not?"

"You can take care of yourself."

"But I might need one," Kazuki protested.

"Not my problem," the sprinter shrugged, eliciting a gasp of mock horror from his blond friend.

"You don't mean that, do you?"

"..."

"Retsuuuuu," Kazuki pretended to cry, burying his face into his friend's shoulder and making fake sobbing noises into it. "He doesn't care about me!"

"Nope." was Jun's blunt response.

"See how he wounds me?" the soccer player wailed.

"Quit being so dramatic," the white haired teen snapped playfully. Yume giggled.

"Have you two been friends a long time?" Her question was directed at Kazuki and Jun.

"Eh?" they answered as one, then turned to glare at each other.

"Yes, they have," Retsu answered for them tiredly. "Don't know the exact date, but it's been a while."

"I can see that." The four friends (and Reborn. Can't forget about Reborn) had arrived at the entrance to the warehouse district of Namimori. It was the same as in any other city, the large gray buildings looming over the narrow streets, casting dark shadows. Retsu shivered as they passed through one such shadow.

The only difference between their town's warehouse district and the next town over's was that this area of the city was infamous for gang violence. There were rumors circulating that at night, when everyone who followed the laws had gone to bed, the delinquents came out to play. And not your average "I'm going to beat you up for looking at me funny" delinquents. Oh no, Namimori delinquents were the "I'm going to beat you up just cause I feel like it" kind.

"Do you think there would be any dangerous people around at this time of day?" he asked worriedly. Reborn snorted.

"He seems to have forgotten why we're here in the first place, and who you're hoping to find."

The boy shot his tutor a glare, and when he turned back to the path in front of him, he saw a slim girl blocking their path. Her black hair was tied in a messy bun at the nape of her neck, and she had black knee-length leggings on under a one-sleeved, short red kimono. White rabbits danced across the front of the dress, embroidered there with obvious care. Dark blue eyes bored into him, intense yet strangely cold.

_She matches Amatsu's description,_ Retsu realized. Indeed, the girl _was_ gorgeous, with a certain cold quality to her.

"Um, excuse us," he said timidly. "But could you let us past? We're looking for someone, and need to go that way."

"I know who you're looking for, and you don't need to look any farther," she stated in a monotone voice. "In fact, this saves me the trouble of finding you."

"Then you're..."

"Correct. I'm a member of the 6 Zodiacs. My name is Usagi."

* * *

**Usagi means rabbit, for those of you who don't know. ^^**

**(1) – It's an event that requires an incredible amount of precision and accuracy. Actually, this piece of information will explain a lot about Jun. Also, I know no such man exists (obviously), but hey, this story's set thirty years in the future, and besides, the characters are all made up anyways. It doesn't really matter.**

**(2) – Means "but, but." I don't usually like putting in Japanese words into my writing, other than honorifics, but I love this little phrase so much. Reborn can be so cute when he wants to be, so I decided to keep it.**


	21. Trust and Intuition

**Sorry that this is so late! I was updating another one of my stories, because I realized I can't spend _all_ my time writing with this one. Just 98% of it. ^^**

**Thank you, as always, to all of you who reviewed. They make my day, and I love getting feedback on my stories!**

**dotYui: Thanks for pointing that out before. It's corrected now. I didn't notice it before. And your memory's not bad...I don't think. I like writing about Jun and Kazuki. They're just easy to put in character, and the banter's fun to write. I like Japanese names a lot too, especially pretty ones. I wonder what would actually happen if Reborn was real though... I'm glad you think I keep him in character, and read on to find the answers to your questions!**

**Rikulz:**** Questions on Jun, and all the guardians, will be answered in time. I kind of plan out the chapters as I go, so I don't know how long this battle will be just yet. Generally, it takes me about 3 hours to write a chapter, depending on distractions/motivation. What flame type? Um, probably lightning or storm. I'm lazy, and I can have a quick temper at times. So, a mix of the two maybe? Sleep is very important!**

**Fuuki Inchou Ange:**** Third, huh? In how long? Either way, thank you. I kind of based her off one of my friends (not the kimono and all, but the hairstyle and eyes ^^).**

**Reborn22:**** Yes, I do love writing cliffhangers. Stories are no fun without them, you know? And yes, I would like a cookie! *gobbles it down***

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 21: Trust and Intuition

_Last Time:_

"_I know who you're looking for, and you don't need to look any farther," she stated in a monotone voice. "In fact, this saves me the trouble of finding you."_

"_Then you're..."_

"_Correct. I'm a member of the 6 Zodiacs. My name is Usagi."_

**_~OS~_**

For a moment after the girl's confession, there was complete silence. It was Jun who finally broke it. "Well that was fast," he commented dryly. Usagi raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you be a bit more surprised?" Yume asked.

"I try to take things in stride," the boy shrugged. "It's how I was raised."

"While this is all very interesting-" the black haired girl tried to say, but was cut off by Kazuki.

"What kind of childhood did you go through to be raised like that?" the blonde asked incredulously. Jun shot him an annoyed look.

"I grew up being dragged into fights by a certain long haired idiot," he snapped.

"Who?"

"Are you trying to be funny, or are you really just that dumb?"

"Can we please-" Usagi was interrupted yet again, this time by Retsu.

"C'mon guys, be nice," the teen said in exasperation, stepping in between his two friends. "Jun, you should try to stop being so downright hostile. You should know better than to act that way around Kazuki. He won't get it. And Kazuki..." he trailed off, taking in the other boy's confused stare. He sighed. "J-just try and forget this ever happened."

"Um," the blonde still looked puzzled, but nodded anyway. "Okay?"

"Hmph," Jun snorted, crossing his arms and looking away. "Whatever."

"Wow, Retsu!" Yume exclaimed appreciatively. "You're so good at controlling them! They never listen to me when I tell them to stop."

"I'm not controlling them," Retsu denied hurriedly. "It's just something I learned over time."

"A boss should be able to mediate his family," Reborn nodded in approval, and his teenage charge glared.

"No, no, no," the boy emphasized each refusal with a stamp of his foot. "I told you, it's an acquired skill. Why do you always have to go making such a big deal out of noth-"

He was cut off by a black and white blur that shot by his head. As it passed, he could just make out a rectangular shape. It looked almost like...a playing card?

"Ah!" he yelped, falling back to land on his butt. The projectile flew into a nearby building and stuck there, revealing that it was just what he'd thought: a seemingly normal card. The key word there was seemingly. Because he was pretty sure that most cards didn't have razor sharp edges. Or black skulls drawn in the center. Retsu turned to face the source of the throw, and found that Usagi looked like she was about to kill someone. Which, in retrospect, really wasn't good for him.

"I do not like being ignored," she said slowly, each word sharp as a knife. She was gripping the stack of cards in her hand so tightly that her knuckles were going white. "You insolent, insignificant, worthless pieces of _trash._"

"And you say _I'm_ hostile," Jun said, helping Retsu to his feet.

"Yeah, my bad," his white haired friend agreed.

"Are you okay?" Kazuki asked. The sprinter glared, and the blonde backed off, hands raised in a sign of surrender. "Right, I forgot; redundant question." Jun nodded curtly, then threw Retsu at him, getting yells of surprise from them both. He rolled his eyes.

"Idiots," he muttered, turning to face Usagi. "Hey lady, I'll be your opponent."

"Eh?!" Yume exclaimed.

"You can't!" Retsu yelled. Kazuki nodded furiously in agreement.

"You guys think I can't handle it?"

"Yes!" the blonde burst out, immediately cowering back at the murderous look Jun sent him.

"It was a rhetorical question, you dumbass," he ground out through his teeth. "And get going. You said you're in a rush."

"But..." the white haired boy said hesitantly, and the others expression softened a little as he shook his head.

"I'll be fine," Jun assured him. "I promise, I'll catch up with you guys as soon as I'm done here."

Retsu looked back and forth between his friend and the livid girl in front of them, and came to a quick decision. He met Jun's eyes, saw the resolve and excitement burning in their sapphire depths, and nodded. "One hour," he said quietly. "You have one hour to catch up with us. We're going that way," he pointed to the left of Usagi. "And I expect you to keep your promise. You don't show up, we'll come looking for you. Understand?"

Jun's eyes widened, shocked that Retsu had actually agreed. He wasn't the only one. "You're not serious, are you?" Kazuki asked. When the violet eyed teen didn't respond, he groaned. "Is this really okay? What if something happens?"

"Kazuki?" the sprinter asked.

"Yes?"

"Shut up. I told you I'll be fine, and I will."

"I think you should let him," Yume chimed in. "I mean, Retsu's right, we are kind of in a hurry. Besides, I trust Jun-kun."

"Yume-chan, Jun's fine," the black haired boy blushed lightly. "You don't have to add the honorific."

"Then you have to drop the -chan," the girl replied obstinately.

"Fine."

"Alright!" she smiled. "Then I trust Jun."

"Not bad, all of you," Reborn said, smirking down at them from his place on Retsu's head. "Trust is a very important thing in a family. It's good that you're learning that so early on."

"Reborn, for the last time, we're not in the mafia!" Retsu made a grab for the baby, who easily dodged out of the way by jumping to the ground behind his student. The diminutive hitman then kicked the boy in the heels, almost tripping him.

"You are if I say you are. Now get going."

Retsu reluctantly followed orders, turning to walk away. Kazuki and Yume followed behind, casting worried glances back in Jun's direction. Seeing their concern, he shook his head and gave them a thumbs up. "One hour, right?" All three grinned back.

"One hour!" they chorused in agreement.

"You think I'll just let you leave after insulting me like that?" Usagi nearly screeched from behind them, her previously calm demeanor completely gone in the face of her anger and indignation. "Don't screw with me!"

In the blink of an eye, four of her white cards were whizzing after them, slicing through the air with sharp, whistling sounds. Before their targets could even turn to face them though, they were shot out of the air. The four pieces of paper fell to the ground, harmless, with identical holes through the centers. Bullet holes, if the small pieces of metal imbedded in the ground near them were any indication.

Jun stood behind them, straight as an arrow, a still-smoking silver gun held in his outstretched hand. His blue eyes were narrowed, calculating and precise.

"W-what the hell was that?" Retsu couldn't help asking, moving to face his friend. In response, the other teen only shrugged.

"Mom always said I was a lot like Dad," he offered with a smirk. The white haired teen could only nod in amazement.

_The 50 metre pistol, huh?_ he thought wryly. "Okay then. Good luck."

"Just get going already," Jun ordered, aiming the weapon at him. Retsu didn't need to be told twice, and without another look back, he was off. Jun smiled, but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared as he turned to the black haired girl, who was looking back and forth between her ruined cards and the boy who had shot them down. "Alright. What do you say we get this fight started now that all the annoying people have left?"

**_~OS~_**

"Was it really all right to just leave him back there?" Kazuki asked once Retsu had caught up. The blonde and Yume had been too far away to witness Jun's recent display of accuracy, so it was understandable that they were still a bit unsure. As for Retsu, he couldn't be more sure of his decision.

"Trust me, we've got nothing to worry about," the violet eyed boy responded. Choosing to believe him, his friends nodded in understanding.

"Other than yourselves, of course," Reborn added from his usual perch on his student's shoulder.

"Yeah," the boy said grimly. "Other than that."

They ran in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. It was Yume who broke it this time. "Ne, Retsu?" He turned to face her, which she took as a sign to continue. "Where are we going?"

He shrugged. "Who knows."

"Wait, what?" Kazuki almost skidded to a stop, startled. "You mean you don't know?"

"No idea," Retsu shook his head. "I figure that we ran into Usagi quick enough, so if we keep running around randomly, maybe we'll meet someone else. Besides, I've got a good feeling about this way."

"That's not a good basis of judgment!" Yume insisted.

"If you guys got any better ideas, I'd love to hear them." When neither teenager replied, he snorted. "That's what I thought."

"When in doubt, trust your intuition," Reborn said. Retsu was about to say that that was one of the best pieces of advice the baby had ever given (and the most normal), when he realized his tutor hadn't finished yet. "Bosses before you have survived more than once on pure instinct. It's a good code to live by."

"Right," the boy muttered irritably. "I'll be sure to remember that."

"A-anyways," Kazuki interjected, noticing the tense atmosphere. "Do we even know who we're looking for?"

"Maybe," Retsu admitted sheepishly.

"Well, let's figure out who's left," Yume suggested. "There's six of them, right? Usagi-san's back there."

"Izumi-san," the white haired boy added.

"And Tora," Kazuki finished, taking note of the sad wince that went across his female friend's face, and the way her eyes flickered to the empty band on her thigh.

"Yeah," she agreed quietly.

"Um, that's three," Retsu said, trying to take her attention away from whatever was going through her head at the mention of the name. "So there's only three left?" he asked hopefully.

"Not necessarily," Reborn said. "There may be more."

"If there were more than six, why would they call themselves the 6 Zodiacs?" the soccer player asked.

"They may not be working alone," Yume answered. She looked like she was about to say something else, but her gaze was caught by a red flash on the rooftop above. The girl looked up, and stopped dead. "T-there's no way," she stammered in fear, paling considerably.

"What's wrong?" Kazuki asked worriedly. Wordlessly, Yume pointed at the roof, and her two friends followed her finger to the spot. They also froze at what they saw. "Why is she _here_?!" the blonde cried in panic. "What happened to Jun?"

"He said he'd be fine," the brown haired girl said quietly into her hands, which were cupped around her face in defeat.

"Usagi," Retsu voiced their realization in shock. "She can't be here. If she is..." he trailed off, not wanting to finish. The evidence was right before him, so why couldn't he believe it? _It's because something's wrong here,_ he thought. _This isn't right. What's going on?_


	22. Illusions, Illusions Everywhere!

***grumble, grumble* No time to write lately. *grumble, grumble* Seriously, everything that could make this late happened! Again! Not that I'm complaining, because I had a great weekend (then the clocks moved forward and ruined my mood T.T). I just wished I could have finished this on time. I swear, I'm still brimming with ideas. Just no time.**

**Enough explanations which you don't care about! That was my little ranting corner, so bear with me. But, now responses!**

**dotYui:**** I'm glad you like them. Everyone, literally everyone, has said that she's an illusion in their review. You try to be cryptic and everybody figures it out... *grumble, grumble* Thanks, as always! ^^**

**Reborn22:**** You think so? *hums "un-suspiciously"* Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.**

**Rikulz:**** Glad you think so! Throwing needles, huh? Yeah, I was kind of thinking on someone using those. As for Xanxus's kid, I have someone special planned for that. *evil laugh* Well, three hours is the minimum. If I'm having trouble, or it's going really well, the time varies. Obviously. Interesting views you have on the flames. Have you given it a lot of thought? Dying will, definitely. I just think it sounds better. I love long reviews, so don't worry! ^^**

**AnonymousKHRFan:**** I'm really happy that you like it, and that you think the characters are unique. It's so hard to come up with unique characters for this story, because the original's got so many awesome ones! I like Kurohana too. She's one of my favorite characters to write.**

**monochromez:**** Admire? Wow, thanks. I love your writing too, so that coming from you means a lot. I don't know if Jun's going to act like that around girls in general. I think its probably going to depend on the person. Fractured collar bone?! How'd that happen? I've never broken or fractured anything, but I've gotten most of the other usual injuries (bruises, sprains, cuts, etc.). Either way though, you're working around it, so good for you! When can you play again? I just started indoor soccer, so I'm no longer suffering from withdrawal! Ah, forgetfulness. A disease I've never found a cure for. *sigh* Yeah, I love having cool friends, and its good to see that I'm not the only one who does that. ^^**

**jet:**** In case you didn't see the next chapter, you are correct! Congratulations!**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 22: Illusion, Illusions, Everywhere!

_Last Time:_

_The girl looked up, and stopped dead. "T-there's no way," she stammered in fear, paling considerably. _

"_What's wrong?" Kazuki asked worriedly. Wordlessly, Yume pointed at the roof, and her two friends followed her finger to the spot. They also froze at what they saw. "Why is she **here**?!" the blonde cried in panic. "What happened to Jun?"_

"_He said he'd be fine," the brown haired girl said quietly into her hands, which were cupped around her face in defeat._

"_Usagi," Retsu voiced their realization in shock. "She can't be here. If she is..." he trailed off, not wanting to finish. The evidence was right before him, so why couldn't he believe it? **It's because something's wrong here,** he thought. **This isn't right. What's going on?**_

_**~OS~  
**_

The three teenagers were close to panicking, that Reborn could tell with a glance. Surprisingly though, it was Retsu that looked the most collected, and the baby couldn't help but feel a small spark of pride upon seeing the confused, almost _doubtful_ expression on his student's face. He couldn't help but wonder if the boy could see that something was amiss here too, or if it was just the shock of denial that was the cause. If it was the latter, they'd have a problem. If it was the former...well then maybe the kid wasn't completely hopeless.

If Reborn could feel pity for those he taught, then maybe he would have pitied Retsu. After all, the kid hadn't even known about the world of the mafia until recently, and now he was suddenly being thrown into such a dangerous position. But unfortunately for every student he'd ever had, Reborn didn't feel pity. He figured that the best way for a student to learn was through experience, and if they died in the process, then they weren't fit to be a boss. Not that any of his pupils had ever died; he would have killed them had they had the nerve to die while he still had things left to teach.

The infant was drawn out of his thoughts by Retsu's pensive question. "Reborn, I think I'm just being paranoid, but, um," the boy paused, unsure of how to go on. "D-do you think there's anything wrong with this? I mean, I'm getting this really weird feeling, and-" He stopped short, eyes flying skywards.

How he'd heard it, he'd never know, but at that instant in time, his senses had been on full alert. Maybe that was why he heard the whizzing sound of dozens of sharp objects flying through the air, hurtling straight at the frozen teens.

"Get out of the way!" he cried, shoving Yume to the side. The contact broke the girl out of her dazed state, and she quickly realized the problem. With the impossibly fast reflexes of someone who had been fighting their whole life, she regained her balance and sprinted behind the nearest building to escape the onslaught of cards.

Kazuki was not so lucky. Retsu had grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from the immediate area of attack, but a few stray blurs had found their way to the ground at his feet, very nearly missing his shoes. The blonde heard his friend swear vehemently before he was shoved into an alleyway. Retsu tried to follow, but was cut off by a torrent of the projectiles that rained down mere seconds later, just barely missing the white haired teen.

"Shit!" Retsu exclaimed, whirling in an instant and running off in the opposite direction. The cards followed him, never hitting but always close behind, landing only inches from his heels. Usagi had attacked when the group reached a clearing of sorts between the warehouses. They were surrounded on all sides by the gray buildings, and Retsu realized in horror that the only way out was the road they had come in on. The same road that was blocked by their card-wielding opponent.

_But wasn't she just on the roof behind me?_ he wondered, looking back. There she was, still throwing her lethal projectiles. But how could that be? He was stopped short by the seven cards that imbedded themselves in the ground before him. His head whipped back to the source, and found a third Usagi on a different roof. _What the hell's going on?!_ his mind screamed, before he realized his current situation. He was trapped, boxed in, and outnumbered. Chances of survival: Not good.

Retsu's attention turned to the cards flying at him, head on, thrown by a fourth girl. _What a crappy way to die_, the boy thought ruefully, already aware that he had no chances of escape. Even if he had been able to, it would have been in vain. _This is pathetic._

"Yes, it is quite pathetic," he heard a squeaky voice say into his ear before Reborn jumped off of his shoulder, driving his foot into the teen's side so hard that the boy was sent stumbling into the alley behind him. Retsu picked himself up just in time to see the cards as they flew towards his tutor, who was still in the air, with no way of dodging or defending himself.

"Reborn!" he shouted, unable to tear his eyes away as the cards flew closer and closer, until finally...

...They disappeared? No, it was more like they'd passed through the infant. Reborn landed easily on his feet, trotting over to where his student was sprawled

"This entire thing is an illusion," Reborn said before the boy could even ask anything. "An illusion which all of you are trapped in."

"What?" Retsu was hopelessly confused, still in shock from seeing the other alive.

"I wasn't really expecting you to get it the first time, but I don't have the time nor patience to try and explain all of this to you. You're just going to have to learn as you grow," the baby stated, before continuing. "There is an illusionist somewhere around here. They're the one who's doing this. The girls you see, and their weapons, aren't real."

"But-"

"Don't interrupt me," Reborn cut him off, a dangerous glint in his eye. Retsu gulped. "As I was saying, this isn't really happening. The problem is, you've all fallen for the trick, so now you're trapped until you break out of it. Basically, until your mind excepts that this isn't real, you can still be hurt."

"I totally don't get this," his student groaned, pushing himself to his feet. The hitman sighed wearily.

"I didn't get hurt, did I?"

"Well, no..."

"Then you won't either," Reborn said bluntly, and proceeded to shove his student out of the safety of the alley, straight into the line of fire.

_I thought he was trying to help me _survive_!_ Retsu thought, bracing himself for the pain. But it never came. He opened his eyes, which he had screwed shut only seconds ago, to find that the attack was still going full force. It just wasn't hitting him.

"Kazuki! Yume! Look at this!" Retsu shouted as he stepped farther into the open. The cards whistled by in a chaotic white storm, yet none touched him. Any that came near simply passed through. The boy held up a hand and tried to grab one, but it too disappeared into the appendage and reappeared on the other side. He smiled slightly. "It's only an illusion. There's nothing to be afraid-" Suddenly, he cried out in pain, hand flying to his arm as he crumpled to his knees.

"Retsu?!" he heard his friends shout in unison, but couldn't respond. He was too busy staring at the white and black card sticking out of his arm.

_How?_ he asked silently, wincing as he pulled the weapon out. _They aren't real, right? So how'd one hit me?_

"You weren't careful," Reborn reprimanded as he walked up, seemingly not bothered by the cards passing through his face. "I told you that there was an illusionist around here somewhere."

"I didn't think they'd actually attack me!" the boy exclaimed.

"Well, now you know."

"Are you alright?" Kazuki asked, rushing over to help.

"Yeah, I'm fine," his friend quickly reassured him, looking around, eyes searching for their other companion. But she was nowhere to be found.

"It's only a flesh wound," Reborn informed the blonde, who just nodded in understanding. Retsu growled slightly in annoyance at the baby just brushing the injury off as if it was nothing, but his attention was quickly drawn to the roof by the loud sound of feet pounding against the surface. He looked up to find Yume rushing towards the girl who had presumably thrown the card, a furious look on her face.

"How dare you do that do Retsu!" the brown haired girl cried, punching at Usagi. The other dodged, but just barely. She was caught by the foot that snaked out seconds later, tripping her and sending her to the ground. Usagi landed with a grunt of pain.

"How did she get up on the roof so fast?" Retsu asked.

"A fire escape, maybe?" Kazuki suggested.

"Maybe," the boy wasn't convinced, but it was the best answer they had at the moment. He looked around cautiously, and found that none of the other girls were in their original places. Not even the one blocking the entrance. "Wait, where are the others?"

"What others?" The soccer player switched his attention from his injured friend to the one fighting on the roof, and gasped in surprise. "Look out, Yume!"

"Huh?" Yume turned towards them, fist raised to deliver another blow. Just as she did though, it became apparent what Kazuki had been so worried about. Pale hands wrapped around the girl's wrist in an iron grip. The same happened with her other hand, and she was trapped between the two opponents. The third Usagi was before her, helping the fourth up. The fourth looked absolutely livid, and was quick to show it. She punched the captured girl in the face, twisting Yume's head to the side with the force of the blow. The black haired girl grabbed her chin, forcing Yume to meet her eyes.

Whatever Usagi had been expecting to see, be it pain or hopelessness, it wasn't what she got. The silver pools were hardened by determination, and almost seemed to be mocking her with their clarity.

"Your death won't be painless or quick, that I can assure you," she snarled, snapping her fingers once. Instantly, her idle counterpart disappeared in a wisp of black mist, and the dark substance moved to surround the brown haired girl's face.

Yume coughed harshly, trying to clear her airways and breathe. But no air was coming. Whatever was surrounding her now, it was cutting off all her air supply. She felt her lungs constrict, and tried to scream. No sound was forthcoming, and she immediately began to struggle against her captor's holds. They held firm, and the girl felt her grip on consciousness slipping.

"They're trying to suffocate her!" Kazuki cried from the ground, quickly pushing himself out of his seated position and moving to try and help his friend. Retsu, however, hung back. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, oh no. It was just, Kurohana's words from the other night were playing through his head endlessly.

_Now that you've dragged Yume into your little world, I have to watch out for her. After all, if she dies, I die with her, and I don't want that to happen._

Wouldn't what was happening now count as a threat to Yume's life? Did that mean that Kurohana was about to show up? He shivered at the thought, but in the back of his mind, he was almost glad. Despite being a fight-loving, overconfident bitch at times, he'd also seen a side of the red eyed girl that suggested she was more than that. Smarter than that. And above all else, though she was a horrible person to have as an enemy, she would be a very reliable ally, whatever her reasons may have been.

And he was certain of one fact: Yume's other half was on her way. So they should probably get out of there if they didn't want to get caught up in the bloodbath that was about to happen.

And sure enough, there it was. The tell-tale shift in the air, the ominous feeling that warned of the change occurring in their friend.

"Kazuki," Retsu murmured, already turning to leave. "We should go now."

"What?" the blonde stopped moving, staring after the other in bewilderment. "But Yume's in trouble! She needs our help-"

"No she doesn't," the white haired boy shook his head vigorously, still backing away. "Honestly, I'm more worried about Usagil."

"Why would you be..." Kazuki trailed off as the realization finally hit him. The soccer player turned, quickly following after his friend. "That girl from a while back. Yume's other personality. Are you talking about her?" Retsu only nodded, and he blanched. "Let's go then. I'm sure _she'll_ be fine on her own." Without waiting for a reply, he jogged off, stopping occasionally to make sure the other was keeping pace.

"Just what I needed; more running," Retsu grumbled, but followed all the same, not wanting to be caught up in the battle that was about to ensue. _If it's her, I'm sure she'll be fine,_ he thought. _There's no doubt in my mind that Usagi-san will lose. It's what may happen afterwords that worries me. After all, __there's no telling what that girl will do._

Behind them, the shaking of the girl in the mist stopped. A smirk made its way across her face as she listened to the two boys leave, and she knew that she wouldn't have to hold back. Slowly, almost lazily, red eyes flickered open. Kurohana had arrived.

* * *

**I know this chapter may have been a little confusing, but it's really hard to write illusions. Any questions will probably be answered soon. For anything else...(and you knew this was coming) please review!**


	23. Memory

**Hooray for new chapters! And ones that are on time too! And guess what? I opened up a popularity poll on my profile! All the characters so far are on it. This will not be my last one. As some of you may have noticed, we're kind of missing a few guardians. Well, don't worry, I'll get them into a second one (if I remember) later on. I'm probably going to have 2 or 3 of these polls, just to see how each character is faring in terms of popularity.**

**Oh, you guys make me so happy with your reviews! Unfortunately, I don't have the time to reply right now! I'm really sorry, please don't kill me, and I promise I will next time! I just need to leave right now (my mom's yelling at me to get off the computer) and I wouldn't have any time until tomorrow to update this again. I thought you'd prefer sooner over later! Once again, sorry! Bye!**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 23: Memory

The sound of flying bullets intermingled with the sharp, slicing noises of the lethal cards, as each opponent tried to gain ground in what could only be called a test of luck and accuracy. Jun was crouched inside a building, the open doorway only inches away. The door was long gone from the abandoned warehouse. It hadn't taken the two fighters long to realize that this particular part of the district had been deserted years ago, and all that remained were the empty shells of buildings. Which suited him just fine in this type of fight; it meant more to hide behind, and that was essential. Despite his considerable skill with a gun, he would never be much use in a close range fight. That was more of Kazuki's thing, which was why they made such a good team.

He fired through the doorway, but his opponent was also hidden, out of reach inside a different building. Jun tried to shoot again, but was met with nothing but a clicking sound. _Out of bullets_, he realized, reaching to his belt for extra ammo. He swore vehemently under his breath. _Are these really all I have left?! Didn't I grab more? Goddammit! _

His gun could hold up to eight rounds at a time. He only had five left. The boy stared at the five cartridges lying in his hand with dismay, then loaded them with a sigh. _Better make this count_, he thought, standing up.

On the other side of the street, Usagi was having similar problems. _I only have half a deck left,_ she glowered at where he was presumably hiding._ I'm wasting too much time here. The kid's better than I thought he'd be. I don't know who it was that trained him, but they were good._

Renewing her firm grip on her weapons, she peeked out the doorway next to her. The coast was clear, but for how long? The brat was almost out of ammunition too, no doubt. They'd been going at it for a while now, surely enough to use up most of his bullets.

_This'll be it._ Jun knew, even as he stepped out into the open, that the battle was about to be decided, right then and there.

_No more playing around,_ Usagi thought grimly, meeting the cool gaze of her opponent with an equally cold one of her own.

_It's time to end this._

**Usagi: 26 cards**

**Jun: 5 bullets**

**_~OS~_**

Scarlet eyes searched around, their owner trying to quickly get her bearings. She'd come because Yume had been in danger, but she hadn't known what that danger was until now. What a tricky situation her other half had gotten herself into! Luckily, those annoying friends of hers had the common sense to leave Kurohana to her own devices. And she was mad about being woken up.

The black mist clouding her vision might as well not have been there at all. The second she'd woken up, she'd realized it was an illusion. A pretty weak one too, as far as illusions went. Taking a second to catch her breath (hey, the body itself still needed air), Kurohana surveyed the situation with a critical eye.

Captured, blinded, and for the moment, completely at the mercy of her enemy. Hm. Seemed like an easy enough situation to get out of.

She let the tension drain from her body, slumping forward as if she had passed out. The girls holding her slackened their grips, and she couldn't help but smirk. Too easy.

In a sudden movement, Kurohana threw her head back, slamming her arms together so that her two captors collided. There was a decidedly hollow sound as the two heads hit, and the girls collapsed in a heap on the ground, unconscious. Almost the second they hit, they disappeared into black dust, soon blown away by the wind. However, it appeared that her last opponent had been expecting something just like that, as six cards landed at Kurohana's feet before she could even take a step.

"Impressive, I guess," the red eyed girl shrugged, obviously not impressed. "Fast reaction time at least."

"I think you'll find I'm harder to kill than you'd like to think," Usagi taunted. Kurohana was silent for a moment, seeming to be thinking the statement over. Finally, she smirked.

"We'll see." With that, she took a few running steps backwards before flinging herself over the side of the roof with a jaunty wave. Her shocked opponent followed her to the edge, then looked down just in time to see her catch herself on the railing of a fire escape, presumably the way that she'd climbed up there in the first place. She dropped to the ground, completely unharmed, and shot the other girl a cheeky grin. "Come and get me," the brown haired teen challenged.

Usagi rose to the bait, throwing a hand of cards in the others general direction. Kurohana stayed completely still, watching the potentially deadly projectiles with mild amusement. They passed straight through her, proving to be nothing more than illusions. Enraged, the blue eyed girl reached for a different deck. A deck of very real, very dangerous weapons, which she threw at her infuriating opponent.

Kurohana ducked out of the way, immediately recognizing the actual cards. She rolled to escape the next onslaught, grabbing one of the fire escape's supports and pulling herself to her feet. The girl gave the pole a critical once over, then shrugged. It would have to do.

With seemingly inhuman strength, she wrenched the support out of its place, giving it an experimental twirl and smiling at the results; it would work for now. The fire escape shuddered and creaked, but stayed thankfully upright. She wasn't quite sure of what she would have done had it fallen down.

The whistling sound of the incoming weapons broke her out of her thoughts, and she easily side-stepped them, bringing up her makeshift staff to block any that got too close. She shot the girl on the roof a bored glance, then loped off towards the exit, dodging any cards that came her way. Kurohana was only steps away from the alley exit when Usagi moved from the roof, jumping to the ground right in front of her opponent. She held up her deck menacingly.

"It's over," the black haired girl stated. "You're trapped."

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Kurohana smirked, bringing up her weapon in a defensive stance. Suddenly, she leapt forward, closing the distance between them with incredible speed. Usagi launched hand after hand of cards at her, but her opponent only twirled the staff in front of her in a spinning motion, deflecting them all. And then, the red eyed girl was only inches away.

She jumped, staff raised above her head, and slammed it down onto the black haired girl's collarbone. There was a sharp cracking sound, and Usagi screamed once, then fainted.

"Well, that was easier than I thought it'd be," Kurohana mused to herself, then turned back to the body lying face-down on the ground in front of her. Her eyes widened at the black mist coming off the other girl, disappearing into the air and revealing her true form. It was that of a man. "I didn't think you were the real one," she said, crouching next to him. "Guess that means the other brat's still fighting her. Good. Maybe Yume will stop nagging me about it now."

A bit curious despite herself, she grabbed a handful of his hair and lifted up his head, revealing a face contorted in pain. It was a face she recognized, unfortunately.

"N-no way," Kurohana stuttered, a very unnatural occurrence, taking a step back. "You're...Hebi?!"

_**Flashback:**_

"_So this is her, huh?"_

_Kurohana opened her eyes slowly. She lay flat on her back in the family training dojo, having just been forced to fight a squad of men her father had hired to 'hone her skills.' What a load of bullshit. He just wanted her to be tired so that she wouldn't be annoying and loud later. Sucked for him; she'd be that way anyway._

_A black haired man in his early thirties was leaning over her. His eyes were narrow slits, curved upwards in a wonderful imitation of a fox, and he was giving her a close-lipped smile._

"_It's nice to meet you little missy," he greeted her teasingly. "My name's Hebi. I'm a friend of your father."_

"_Bite me," Kurohana snarled. Hebi raised an eyebrow._

"_This one's got a temper on her."_

"_You could say that," a deep voice grunted behind him. "She's quite a handful when she's like this."_

"_So you just need me to discipline her a little?" Wait, what? Discipline? Ah, hell no._

"_Don't you-" she started to say, but was cut off by her father._

"_Yes, that would be wonderful."_

"_Alrighty then!" Hebi placed a hand to her forehead. His smile widened, easily taking the sincerity away from his next words. "Sorry, but this might hurt a little."_

_The world went red. Kurohana couldn't move. _

"_What the hell's going on?!" she shouted. "What'd you do to me, you bastard?!"_

"_Nice mouth you got there," his voice echoed out of the darkness, mocking her with its calmness._

"_Let me go, or I swear to god, I'll-" Sharp pain ripped through her arm, driving the threats from her mind. She gritted her teeth, determined not to let the man see her cry out. Her resolve began to waver though as the agonizing sensation moved to her other arm, and down to her leg. By the time it had spread through her entire body, she was screaming in pain._

_Blackness swarmed at the edges of her vision, alerting to her rapidly deteriorating state of consciousness. Kurohana didn't want to give Hebi the pleasure of watching her pass out too, but it was getting harder and harder to stay awake as each moment passed. _

_Finally, it was too much. The girl let the darkness wash over her, enveloping her in the warm, painless embrace of sleep. Red and black combined in a dizzying, spiraling mix, and then she knew no more._

_When she next awoke, moonlight was pouring through the window, illuminating the crescent-shaped wounds left by her nails on her palms. Her whole body ached, but those were the only visible wounds. She'd probably been out for a few hours, judging by the angle of the light streaming in. There was no one else in sight, not even Hebi._

"_Fucking bastard," she murmured hoarsely, crimson irises burning with hate. "Don't think I'll ever forget this."_

_**End Flashback**_

And even now, eight years later, the memory had still never left her. The same hate welled up within her, almost overwhelming the red eyed girl. But she pushed it back, mind on more important matters.

"I don't even want to kill you," Kurohana spat out, not caring that the man couldn't hear her. "You're not worth getting my hands dirty over. Besides, if you're here..." she trailed off, lost in thought. If he was here...

She turned towards the direction that the rest of her group had gone and took off running, determination giving her feet wings.

_If he's here, then you can't be far behind, can you?_ she thought bitterly. _How did I only piece it together now? You've been right under my nose this entire time, haven't you? Father._

**_~OS~_**

"Hey, Retsu?" Kazuki asked, slowing to a jog beside his friend.

"Yeah?"

"How long has it been since you got that letter?"

Retsu stopped, struggling to find an answer. "Um," he murmured, counting out the hours so far on his fingers. They'd fought Raito at around noon yesterday, right? And that was when he'd gotten the letter. It was probably a little after noon now, judging by the height of the sun in the sky, so that was what, twenty-five? And they had forty-eight. "Bout a day," he finally said. "We've got until noon tomorrow."

"That's not very long," the blonde commented. "I sure hope the guys we're looking for are here, or else we're in trouble."

"Well, we've already met three of them," Retsu said thoughtfully.

"Four," Kazuki supplied.

"Four?"

"Yes. You're the one who said the other girls were fakes, right?" he continued stubbornly. "So that means that they must have been made by a fourth person."

"But even if that's true, we don't know if they were part of the group we're looking for, remember?" the white haired boy reminded his friend.

"Does the letter say that we need to find all six?"

"I'm pretty sure that's what it meant."

"But does it specifically say it?"

"It doesn't matter!" Retsu snapped, immediately regretting it when he saw the hurt look on his friend's face. He was irritable because he'd had trouble sleeping last night, and their current dilemma wasn't exactly helping. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm just kind of stressed right now. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"It's fine," the other replied gently, a look of understanding in his eyes. That was one of the good things about Kazuki; he acted stupid and childish, but underneath it all, he was actually a pretty smart guy. He could read other people really well, and always seemed to know what to say to cheer someone up. Retsu was broken out of his thoughts by the blonde's next words. "Hey, is that a person up there?"

"I think so," he replied, squinting to try and get a better look. It was a person alright. A person the size of a small truck. "I told you my run-around-and-they'll-eventually-find-you strategy would work."

"Yeah, I got to hand that to you," the soccer player conceded. They slowed to a stop a few feet away from the other person, and Retsu's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "I know you!"

**Time Left: 22 ½ hours**

* * *

**Hoped you like it. Hebi means snake, BTW. And by now, you know the drill: please review. ^^**


	24. An Eye for an Eye

**I...actually don't have anything to say right now. I've exhausted all of my witty(?) comments, and I feel a bit tired. It's kind of late, so I'm making my "Rant Corner" short today. Anyways, since I, for once, have nothing going on in my life, on to responses!**

**Rikulz:**** I'm glad you liked the fighting parts. Interesting to know that you like Kurohana better. The time limit will come into play. "Bite me" is like a dare almost. Basically, she's just being her usual rude, overconfident self that we all love.**

**dotYui:**** Good for you! And I'm happy I could make your day better! Read on to find out if you're right. And in the flashback, he basically traps her in an illusion world. How to explain...ever seen Itachi's genjutsu in Naruto? Cause it's kind of like that without the sharingan. Kurohana and Yume still shared a body, in case you were confused. The second I saw you voted, I thought, "She chose Jun." And I was right! Glad you like my OC's, and the time limit.**

**Reborn22:**** Sometimes I read stories on my iPod. It is useful. And I ****_always_ continue!**

**Oh wait, one thing left to say! Remember, there is still the poll going on! So far, the characters who've been voted for are tied, so if you want your favorite to win, you'd better vote!**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 24: An Eye for an Eye

_Last Time:_

"_I think so," he replied, squinting to try and get a better look. It was a person alright. A person the size of a small truck. "I told you my run-around-and-they'll-eventually-find-you strategy would work."_

"_Yeah, I got to hand that to you," the soccer player conceded. They slowed to a stop a few feet away from the other person, and Retsu's eyebrows shot up in surprise._

"_Hey!" he exclaimed. "I know you!"_

**_~OS~_**

Truth be told, Retsu felt like he should be a bit more surprised than he was at the moment. Once the initial shock had worn off, he had just been left with a dull sense of acceptance. His reaction had been the obvious one, maybe how one would act if they were to suddenly see someone they hadn't in a very long time in the mall. Really though, he should have expected this. After all, Shiro had been with Izumi yesterday.

The large man regarded him with mild surprise, but the look was quickly replaced by the cold glare from before. "Oh, it's you," he said, voice dripping with distaste. "You and your friends have caused us a lot of trouble. If I'd known this was going to happen, I would have killed you yesterday."

"You two...know each other?" Kazuki deduced, looking between the two in confusion. "From where?"

"I ran into him at the same time I met Izumi," Retsu explained.

"Useless brat," Shiro snorted. "Couldn't even get rid of a few kids."

"Izumi-san is three times the person you'll ever be!" the white haired boy snapped. The man's eyebrows shot up.

"And now you're defending him? Oh how far he has fallen."

Retsu thought back to his first meeting with Izumi. The younger boy had been so frazzled about a little blood, yet at the same time, his sincerity and naivety when they were talking afterwords had seemed so real. He couldn't have been acting, right? He was drawn out of his thoughts by Shiro's next words.

"When this is over, I'm going to find the little bastard and kill him. You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he smirked.

"What?!" Retsu yelled, temper flaring at the man's casual disregard for his comrade's life. "He was your friend, right?"

"Absolutely not," Shiro said. "I hated the kid."

"Calm down," Reborn ordered, bopping his student on the head to reenforce the words. He could see the boy was furious, but remaining calm was key at the moment. "He's trying to make you mad."

"No, I assure you that those are my true feelings," Shiro interjected. He turned to look at the other boy, but stopped when he realized the blonde was no longer there. "Wait, where's the other one?"

There was a rustle of movement behind him, and a hand clamped down around the back of his neck. The man froze.

"Behind you," Kazuki informed, tightening his grip. However, when he did nothing else, Shiro relaxed, smirking to himself.

_This kid's a complete amateur,_ he thought. _And here I was getting worried._ Squatting down to loosen the soccer player's grip, he then grabbed a fistful of Kazuki's shirt and threw the boy over his head. In an unexpected display of acrobatics, the blonde flipped in mid-air, landing gracefully on his feet right in front of a very startled Retsu.

"When did you move in the first place?" the white haired teen asked. "Was it while I was talking to him?" His friend was unusually silent, and after a few minutes, Retsu began to fidget nervously. This behavior was very uncharacteristic for the other.

"Retsu," the athlete finally murmured. "I think it would be best if you left now."

"Huh?! But-" he started, but stopped himself when he caught sight of Kazuki's face, hardened by anger. Bright green eyes, usually so friendly, were narrowed into an icy glare, and his mouth was set in a grim line.

"I'm very angry right now," Kazuki said. "I can't be held responsible for my actions. I don't want you getting hurt by accident."

Retsu gave him a critical look, easily meeting his gaze. Despite how rare it was, he'd still seen the blonde angry before, and knew how to handle it."Geez, why are you all so scary when you're angry?" he asked through a sigh. "And you're stubborn too. You know I hate leaving you guys behind. I mean, what if something happens to you?"

The soccer player gave him a small smile. "Nothing's going to happen. You have nothing to worry about."

"Except yourself," Reborn insisted, repeating his earlier words and earning himself a withering look from his student.

"Yeah. Except that," Retsu answered, irritation plain in his voice. Then, he turned, fixing Kazuki with a stern glance. "You better win. If you lose, I'll send Jun after you," he threatened, but he meant his earlier words. And his friend knew that.

"Sounds good," the blonde nodded. "Now go."

"Don't rush me," the white haired teen complained, shaking his head. Despite that however, he turned around, heading off in a random direction.

"Going with your instinct again?" Kazuki called after him.

"You bet!"

As soon as the other was out of sight, the boy turned back to his opponent, all remnants of silliness gone.

"Are you sure you wanted to do that?" Shiro asked, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise. "You'll need all the help you can get. Not that you'd win anyways, but maybe you'd get away alive."

In response, Kazuki lunged forward, slamming his foot into the side of the man's head before he could even react. The attack sent Shiro staggering back, and when he next looked up, he was met by the boy's glare.

"Like I said," Kazuki said, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "I'm very angry right now."

**_~OS~_**

Jun stifled a gasp of pain as he flung himself to the ground, narrowly avoiding a fatal wound to the head. The fight had resumed so quickly, it was like a blur. One moment they'd stood, facing off from different sides of the streets. The next, Usagi was hurling her weapons at him, and he was firing one of his few remaining bullets. He was down to four. From what he could tell though, his opponent was also conserving her cards, which led him to believe he wasn't the only one short on ammunition.

"Why don't you just give up?" the girl taunted from outside. "You're never going to win, and your friends are probably dead already. That, or they left you here and ran away." Jun gritted his teeth, willing the anger rising in him away, willing those insulting words away, willing that _girl_ away. Unfortunately, mind over matter didn't work like that. "They didn't look like the smartest bunch. The other two boys looked so clueless it was almost funny. I don't know how you live with losers like them for friends."

She continued on, but the teen was beyond listening. He could hear his father's words from years ago, as clear now as they had been then.

_Anger is not always a bad thing in a fight. You just have to keep it under control. Without control, you'd go berserk, and that's deadly for how we fight. However, if you can harness that anger, turn it into power for yourself, then you can become stronger than anyone else._

Now, those words were what guided his hand as he raised his gun, took aim, and fired through the doorway. Usagi never saw it coming, too busy insulting his companions. The bullet imbedded itself deep into the girl's right arm. For a moment, she just stared at it in horror. Then she looked up, and was met with hard blue eyes, sharpened by cold fury.

"Keep talking," Jun dared in a low voice. "The next one's going straight for your head."

His opponent couldn't quite control the shiver of fear that ran up her spine, or the way she seemed to be bolted down in terror by his gaze. It was completely irrational, and shouldn't be happening. He was at least five years younger than her, with much less experience. He'd probably never killed someone before. She knew all of this, so why couldn't she move? Why was she still paralyzed?

Jun blinked, and the effects of his stare were broken. Usagi let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Oh is it?" she mocked, hating how her voice quavered slightly in the beginning. A fact which did not go unnoticed by the teenager across the street. He smirked.

"You okay?" he asked, feigning concern. "You sound a little off." The girl had never wanted to kill someone so much as she did now. Pulling out ten cards, she lunged forward, faking a throw to the right. As expected, he dived in the opposite direction. Right into the space made by the open doorway.

With a crazy smile, she flung the projectiles at him, relishing in the shocked look on his face as he was thrown backwards by the sheer force of the throw, and the pained wince when his back hit the wall and he realized he was pinned there. Like a butterfly to a display board. And like that butterfly, there was only one fate ahead of him: death.

"Poor you," she crooned as she walked closer, smirking at the anger and surprise on his face. All ten cards, in a perfectly calculated throw, were driven into the wall by a single sharp point, three for each arm, two for each leg. They were stuck through his white uniform top, and had even gone through the fabric of his dark blue jeans.

Jun tried wrenching himself away from the wall, but the cards were in too deep. He couldn't budge, and the downright gleeful look on his opponent's face was worrying him.

"You won't move them," Usagi informed him, now only inches away. She smiled at the trapped boy, holding up one of the few remaining in her hand. "They're made of a very special type of metal, developed by the boss himself. Very light, yet at the same time," she bent the card in her hand almost in two, then let go. It flopped back onto the deck, unharmed. "Completely indestructible. For humans, anyways."

"You talk too much," Jun gritted out. "If you're gonna kill me, just get it over with."

"But that's no fun," the girl pouted. She held up her injured arm. "And after what you did, that would be far too merciful. Oh no, it's time for some payback. You know what they say," she said, casually fingering a card. "An eye for an eye..." In a flash, she picked it up and drove it into his right arm, a sadistic glint in her dark eyes. "And an arm for an arm!"

The teen bit back a cry of pain, gaze involuntarily sliding to the wound. It was bleeding badly already, which wasn't good by any stretch of the imagination. On the other hand, it didn't look too deep. Still, the shock had been enough for him to loosen his tight grip on his gun, and it fell to the floor with a metallic clank. Usagi regarded it curiously for a moment, then shrugged. She kicked it away with her foot, sending the weapon skittering across the floor. It came to a stop a few yards away, useless.

"Now then," she said, fanning out her remaining ten cards. "Let's play."


	25. Hard Fight

**Disclaimer: Oh wow, am I really this far? *mouth hangs open * Moving on though, as we all know (or you should), I don't own KHR, and never will.**

**Hooray for chapter 25! For future reference, I don't know a whole lot about martial arts, so I apologize for any inaccuracy! And I think we can all agree that my updating schedule has pretty much jumped out a window and died. Hopefully, it will be revived by the time the next arc comes around. I'm not sure I like how Kazuki's fight went, but whatever. I'd be hard pressed to make it any better, seeing as it didn't want to be written in the first place.**

**Reborn22:**** Kill him yourself? But that's ****_my_ job!! :p You like Izumi? Interesting...**

**dotYui:**** Wow...violent. Glad I could clear that up for you, and regarding Hebi, you'll see. Kazuki is a pretty likeable character (or at least I think so). Retsu's weapon...I think you'll like it. ^^**

**monochromez:**** I think imagery's important in a story, because it helps the reader picture what's going on better, which is always good. And I figure there's got to be at least one sadistic character in every story. *shrugs* Yume's father plays a fairly important role. Oh god, I wasn't even thinking about your collarbone when I wrote that! What a coincidence. Yeah for badasses!**

**Rikulz:**** I'm so glad you liked it! And yeah, Kazuki's that fast. Why? Cause I felt like it. ^^ But in a race, Jun's still faster. Who, as you pointed out, things aren't looking up for. Who knows what'll happen...(seriously, I'm writing this before I write the chapter, I'm not completely positive on what's going to happen -.-) It's really cool that you can relate to some of my characters, and that makes me happy, because that means they're at least a little realistic. Yes, Retsu does have a very strong family when they're mad. **

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 25: Hard Fight

_Last Time:_

"_You know what they say," she said, casually fingering a card. "An eye for an eye..." In a flash, she picked it up and drove it into his right arm, a sadistic glint in her dark eyes. "And an arm for an arm!"_

_The teen bit back a cry of pain, gaze involuntarily sliding to the wound. It was bleeding badly already, which wasn't good by any stretch of the imagination. On the other hand, it didn't look too deep. Still, the shock had been enough for him to loosen his tight grip on his gun, and it fell to the floor with a metallic clank. Usagi regarded it curiously for a moment, then shrugged. She kicked it away with her foot, sending the weapon skittering across the floor. It came to a stop a few yards away, useless._

"_Now then," she said, fanning out her remaining ten cards. "Let's play."_

**_~OS~_**

Too say the situation was bad would have been a bit of an understatement. Jun would like to say that he'd been in worse, but honestly, nothing was coming up. Seriously, how much worse could this get?

"Are you ignoring me?!" Usagi yelled, grabbing a fistful of his hair. "I was talking!"

"I heard what you said, bitch," he snarled. Clearly, he had some things to learn about self-preservation, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do. She was going to kill him anyways. Unless he could find a way to get free.

While the dark haired girl launched into some furious rant about something or other, he moved one of his legs experimentally. To his surprise and happiness, he found that he could move it slightly. The cards were in the wall deep, however they had only pierced his clothing. Maybe the cards wouldn't break, but his clothes could rip. Still, he'd need a distraction...

A scream tore through the relative silence of the district, cutting Usagi off mid-sentence. She tensed, paling considerably. "Was that...Hebi?!" she whispered in a surprised voice, looking towards the source through the open doorway. "Did he lose?"

_Hello, distraction,_ Jun thought with a smirk, quickly getting to work. The fabric tore fairly easily, but it wasn't going fast enough. _I'm going to get caught!_

"Geez, you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself, right brat?" Usagi sighed, turning back to the captive boy.

_Dammit! _he swore loudly in his head, taking in her shocked expression when she saw that one of his arms and both of his legs were free. _Now or never then,_ he decided grimly, wrenching himself away from the wall. The cards sliced into his arm as he tore his arm away, leaving deep cuts. But now he was free. And he didn't plan to waste it.

_That arm's getting all kinds of wounds,_ Jun thought with a grimace as he moved away. He threw himself towards his gun, and his fingers had just touched it when the girl finally came to her senses.

"Are you kidding me?!" she screeched, hurling three of her remaining ten cards. He narrowly avoided two, but the third got him just under the eye, leaving a long, thin cut as it flew past. The boy barely flinched, finally getting a better hold on his gun before aiming it at her, finger on the trigger and ready to fire.

"Don't move-" he tried, but had to stop himself in order to dodge the next two cards. _Or not. _

"Plan B then," he muttered. In a sudden move, he ran forward, calling upon all his speed as a sprinter to shoot forward fast enough to get this done without dying. Usagi never knew what hit her. One second, he was fifteen feet away. The next, he was right in front of her, gun pointed at her uninjured shoulder. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm really not," the teen muttered, firing once.

This time, the girl didn't scream. Instead, she collapsed, nursing her shoulder. But Jun, for once in his life, was being cautious, and took an extra step. He punched her once, lightly, not really thinking it would do anything. It was very surprising for him then when her eyes rolled back and she collapsed, out like a light.

He stared between Usagi and his fist in disbelief, then sank to the ground, relieved that the fight was finally over.

"So a bullet wound won't knock you out, but a punch from _me_ of all people will?!" he said, not even caring that she couldn't hear. "You are one screwed up girl."

**_~OS~_**

"I'm very angry right now."

"...Is that supposed to scare me?" Shiro asked incredulously, rubbing his head. "You caught me off guard, that I'll admit, but don't let it go to your head. It was a lucky shot, nothing else."

"If you say so," the long haired teen shrugged, slipping into a ready stance.

The man tilted his head slightly in surprise, but made no other move. "A martial artist?"

"I guess you could say that."

"That's not a stance I recognize."

"And...?"

"I consider myself a bit of an expert."

"Congratulations," Kazuki said, not even trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice. Shiro frowned.

"Seriously though, what is that stance?" he asked.

"A mix of some different things," the boy answered indifferently. "So are you gonna let me kick your ass now, or you want to keep talking about stupid things?"

"Wow, you sound pretty mad," his opponent whistled in appreciation. "If I may offer some advice-"

"I don't want it."

"Suit yourself than," Shiro shrugged, getting into a ready stance of his own. This time, he made the first move, leaping at the smaller male with unnatural speed for his size. He lashed out with a kick aimed at Kazuki's jaw, but the boy managed to jump out of the way just in time to avoid it, only to be caught by a hooked punch to the gut.

He dropped to his knees, breathing hard, and found that the man wasn't done yet. A sharp cut aimed at his throat would have broken his neck had the blonde not rolled out of the way. He couldn't get in an attack! Throwing himself to the side and narrowly dodging a high kick, he found himself a little over a foot away from his opponent. Shiro looked down at him with contempt.

"Like I said before, you sound really mad right now," the man said. "That's not a good thing."

_I hate it, but he's right; I've got to calm down. He's killing me here,_ Kazuki realized, taking a few deep breaths and thinking about their trip to the beach during the summer. _It would be great to do that again next summer._ _If I lose my cool, I won't be able to. Wait, did I feed Chiyo_(1) _this morning? Ah, damn, don't think I did. Hope Dad or Jing-san took care of it._

With his mind successfully back to normal, he then started on a plan. He and Jing hadn't actually begun any training, though the Chinese man had hinted at it, something which Kazuki was now regretting. So he was by himself on this one. _Let's see, I know some different stuff, but I usually only fight with one style at a time. Otherwise, it's too confusing for me. He seems to be able to read all my moves. But maybe I could... _

"You said earlier that you wanted to know what kind of martial arts I did?" the blonde asked quietly. He met Shiro's eye's with a grin, and the man felt a slight chill.

"Sure," he replied. _What's the kid up to?_

Kazuki's smile widened. "Allow me to give you a demonstration then!" He let himself fall forward slightly, latching onto his opponent's wrist and catching him off guard. "First was judo," the boy started, twisting the others arm into a painful looking position behind the man's back.

"Then, I started karate," the teen emphasized the last word with a punch to the face and a sharp jab to Shiro's stomach. The man hissed, but Kazuki was far from done. "I did a little aikido," he grinned, easily managing to flip the much larger male over his shoulder. Shiro landed on his back with a grunt, immediately struggling to his feet to try and prepare for the next attack.

_When the hell did this kid get so strong?_ he wondered, clutching his stomach in pain. _There's no way he should be able to even lift me, much less _throw_ me!_

"I didn't say I was done yet." A powerful kick was delivered to the left side of his face, making his vision swim and stunning him momentarily. "That was my personal favorite, kickboxing," Kazuki informed him, innocent smile still in place. He seemed so much scarier like this, calm and collected in his own way. The boy had good reflexes and senses for a fight, and when he was actually thinking, not blinded by rage, he became a force to be reckoned with, even for a professional like Shiro.

"And last but not least, my favorite out them all. It's not really counted as a fighting style, but whatever. Soccer!" He drew his leg back, and kicked the man's shin with enough force to send a soccer ball halfway across the field and into the goal. Shiro swayed dangerously, and a thought occurred to his blond opponent that made the boy smile impishly.

Kazuki blew lightly on the others nose, hoping to make him fall over...then had to jump back to avoid getting squashed by the falling man. "You know, I've always wanted to do that," the boy admitted, scratching the back of his head and sweatdropping. "But...you're supposed to fall in the other direction." He knelt down to examine the prone form before him, carefully lifting one of the wrists to check the pulse. The teen highly doubted the man was dead, but it was always good to check if he was truly unconscious or not. Unfortunately for him though, his opponent was very much awake.

A large hand shot out, trapping one of the boy's ankles in an iron grip. "What the-?!" He was cut off by the sharp, blinding pain that sprouted from his ankle as Shiro gave it a vicious twist. With a self-satisfied smirk, the man pushed himself off the ground, throwing the dust he'd just picked up straight into the startled boy's eyes.

Kazuki fell back in surprise, scrambling to remove the substance from his eyes. Too late, he realized that he'd dropped his guard, and before he could recover, he felt himself being bodily lifted off the ground. _This won't end well,_ he thought. Seconds later, he found himself flying through the air for the second time that day. Except this time, he wouldn't be able to catch himself. The impact with the building he had been heading for was all he'd expected and more: _extremely painful_. He slid to the ground, barely sitting up with the walls support, eyes trained on his opponent.

Shiro took his sweet time walking over, knowing that with the others potentially broken ankle, he wouldn't be running away any time soon. The man was still holding his stomach, and Kazuki couldn't help but feel a small flare of pride to know that he was the one who'd inflicted the wound.

_But he's about to inflict some wounds of his own. On _you_,_ another, less optimistic part of his mind pointed out.

_Shut up and let me enjoy my last moments._

By this time, his opponent was hovering over him, glaring down with such intensity that the long haired teen almost flinched away. But being himself, his pride wouldn't allow it. He met the man's gaze coolly, even smiling somewhat. He got a kick to the face for his troubles, but the smile didn't fade, as he was sure that had been what Shiro was aiming for. In fact, it only widened. Oh how he loved annoying people!

"You know, there are only two kinds of people who smile in the face of death," Shiro informed him. Kazuki raised an eyebrow curiously. "The suicidal, and the very stupid."

"There's a third kind," the blonde added with a cheeky smirk, deciding to be a smartass right up until the very end. "People who can't stand looking at the person they're fighting with any longer." Then, just to further infuriate the already furious man, he spat on his shoe.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you, brat," the man snarled, pulling out a knife. Kazuki's eye narrowed in thought.

_I might be able to dodge that, but what'll happen next?_ he mused, body tensing in preparation to evade the knife. Shiro raised the blade, driving it towards the injured teenager's chest. _Oh god,_ the boy realized in horror. _I can't dodge that! Not like this!_

He remained frozen, watching the weapon inch closer as if in slow motion. _Damn, what a horrible way to die,_ the boy thought bitterly, raising his eyes to the sky.

"Sorry Retsu," he whispered, waiting for the pain.

Suddenly, a blur of black, orange, and green sprang right in front of him, and the loud clang of metal on metal resounded through the street. A very startled Kazuki could only stare at his savior while his opponent did the same.

"It's you," he murmured, confused and relieved at the same time.

"You!" Shiro exclaimed.

"The one an' only." Izumi declared with a smirk.

* * *

**(1) Remember the puppy Kazuki rescued in chapter 6? Cause I didn't until just now. :p**


	26. Explosion

**Hey guys. This chapter's longer than usual, but it was necessary. Hope you like it! (yes, once again, I'm out of things to say).**

**Responses! I love you all so much!**

**dotYui:**** Alright, got it! Next time you don't like a character, make them suffer when they lose! And yes, that was a bit more violent than usual for you... -.-' Kazuki was fun to write about (not!) I just didn't know what to put for that fight! Ahh, so annoying! Yes, Kazuki did like Izumi's singing, by the way. Yes, both appear this chapter, and as for the last Zodiac...you'll have to wait a little longer for that. ^^**

**Reborn22:**** Split personalities, huh? Nice. ^^ Izumi will explain all...in a few chapters.**

**monochromez:**** No, I think you do a good job with it! More Kurohana in this chapter, I promise! As for her father...we're getting there. Honestly, for Hebi, I just don't know. For theses guys at least, I'm a little unclear with what I want to do with them after this. Kazuki knows many styles, some of which I will probably not mention ever unless it is convenient for me! -.-' I'm glad you liked it. I just came up with that last part for Jun out of the blue, and decided I liked it. ^^ Once again, thank you, and did you read my mind? No joke, I want Chiyo to be an akita. Wow...scary.**

**Rikulz:**** Oh god, I hate it when that happens. I've had it happen to me numerous times, both with PM's and reviews, and it's such a pain! I'm glad you're liking their fights, and as for everything else...we'll have to wait and see, now won't we? (Key word: we. I've lost all control of these characters. They just do what they want with this story now ^^)**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 26: Explosion

"Hey, Reborn?" Retsu asked. They'd left Kazuki behind a while ago, and had been running ever since. Which is to say, _he_ had been running ever since, while Reborn rode on his shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Not to be rude," the boy started irritably. "But if you could stop Leon from _dripping off my shoulder_, I'd be really happy."

Sometime in the last few minutes, Leon's crazy shape changing had stopped. Up until that point, Retsu had almost forgotten about the lizard, due to the fact that he hadn't changed into anything potentially lethal since the time at Jun's house. Now, he had turned into some sort of shimmering green blob with eyes, and Reborn had apparently decided to just leave the creature as it was. At the moment, that meant the puddle formerly known as Leon was left to just fall down his shoulder. It was incredibly annoying, not to mention it felt very unsettling.

"What's wrong with him anyways?" Retsu continued, shaking his arm slightly in hopes of throwing the light green goo off of him. No such luck.

"He's passed through the shape-changing part of his transformation," Reborn supplied. "Now, Leon is in his cocoon state."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means he's in his second and final stage of metamorphosis."

"That tells me nothing I-ack, Leon, get off!" the teen exclaimed, waving his arm with renewed vigor. The lizard had moved down to cover his entire hand and wrist, along with the bracelets he wore. Retsu could just make out the faintest gleam of silver through the translucent blob. He watched in fascination as one by one, all seven accessories shook violently, then fell away from his wrist in two parts, disappearing into the green depths. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he cried in horror, making a grab for Leon. "You broke them!"

The lizard slithered out of reach before the teenager could even get a hand on it, quickly returning to the safety of Reborn's outstretched hands.

"Don't yell at Leon," the baby reprimanded. "It's not his fault."

"Those were important to me!" Retsu yelled. "My dad gave those to me before he died ten years ago!"

Reborn's eyes narrowed. "I see..." was his only reply.

"You don't even care, do you?" the boy muttered, turning away and starting to walk. His pace was much slower than before, but at least he was still moving. The two moved on in uncomfortable silence, Retsu occasionally glancing down at his bare wrist with remorse. Despite how young he'd been, he could still remember the day he'd received the braclets.

_**Flashback:**_

"_Happy Birthday, son!" a man bellowed in a good-natured way. He was big, even by an adult's standards. To a child, he seemed gigantic. His white hair was spiked up at crazy angles, and his blue eyes glowed with happiness and laughter. This was Retsu's father._

_Five-year old Retsu sat on the floor, playing with blocks. When he heard his father's voice, the toddler looked up in anticipation. The man lifted Retsu off the ground and slung him over his shoulder, then began to spin. The boy laughed and smiled, enjoying the ride. When his father finally put him down, he was dizzy but content._

"_Must you do that?" Mayumi asked, walking into the living room. She feigned exasperation, but both males knew she was kidding. "What if you drop him?"_

"_He's got his father's hard head!" he proclaimed proudly, drawing a sigh from his wife. _

"_Let's hope he doesn't also have his father's brain," she muttered._

"_But isn't it the brain you fell in love with?"_

"_Well," she said wickedly. "It certainly wasn't your looks."_

"_That hurt," the man said, eyes watering. He spotted his eldest son coming into the room from another door and immediately jumped up and clung to the startled boy. "Daiiiiiii! Your mother's being mean!"_

_The nineteen-year old just laughed, patting his father's back sympathetically. When he seemed to be done crying, the white haired man spun around and headed back to Retsu. _

"_Oh right! I have a present for you!" The boy looked on curiously as he reached into one of his coat pockets and withdrew a white box, which he then pressed into his son's tiny hands. Retsu tore the top off excitedly, then stopped. Seven small silver bracelets lay on the navy fabric inside the box, winking and sparkling in the light._

"_They're pretty," the boy said in wonder. Delicately, he lifted them out of the box, sliding them onto his thin wrists one by one. They fit well._

"_I thought you'd like them," the man said softly. "And they're special too. They're made of a very unique metal, which will grow as you do. So you'll still be able to wear them in ten years, or even twenty, if you're not sick of them by then!"_

"_Wow," was all Retsu could say, staring between his dad and the silver jewelry. _

"_I didn't get anything cool like that on my birthday," Dai complained, but he was joking. He was happy that his brother was happy with the gift._

"_I'll never take them off!" Retsu stated adamantly. His father just laughed._

"_That seems a little extreme, don't you think?"_

"_No!"_

_**End Flashback**_

Four months later, his father was dead, killed in a car accident. Retsu had stuck to his promise from that day on, and hadn't taken them off for anything other than showers and when it was absolutely necessary. And now, they were gone.

"Will you stop sulking?" Reborn asked from his shoulder, tiring of the silence and unwittingly breaking the boy out of his thoughts.

"It's not something I can just get over," Retsu snapped. "Those were an important gift to me, and now I'll never see them again-"

"Whoever said that?"

"What do you mean?" The boy stopped walking.

"You're going to get them back, one way or another," the tiny hitman shrugged. Retsu was quiet for a moment, digesting this.

Finally, "You're sure?"

"There's a very good chance," Reborn said. "Now get going. At this rate, you're going to run out of time."

The teen nodded, knowing that was the best he was going to get. With a small smiled, he jogged off, carrying Reborn with him. They kept going for a while, until all of a sudden, Retsu pulled to a stop in front of a building. It looked the same as the other warehouses, tall and gray. Nothing special. Except for the person he'd seen running into it only seconds ago.

"There's someone in here," he stated.

"So go check it out."

"Why was I not expecting you to be worried?" Retsu commented dryly.

"Go!"

"Alright, alright!" Holding up his hands in surrender, he headed into the building, swallowing the nervousness that had suddenly clogged his throat. If he was right, this would be over sooner than they'd expected. If not...they might be in trouble.

The inside of the building was cold and dark, much like the outside. In the blackness, the boy could just make out a figure standing in the center. What looked like a rifle was slung diagonally over their back, and sad hazel eyes stared at him through the gloom. Dark hair fell around the familiar face of the young man, sticking up in a way that only one man's he knew could.

"Dai, is that you?!" the surprised boy cried out. The man tensed, hesitantly meet his younger brother's gaze. Retsu froze. "W-why are you here?" he finally managed to get out.

"..."

"C'mon, let's go," the white haired teen pleaded, taking a step forward and outstretching his hand. It's not safe-"

"Stop," Reborn ordered into his ear, pulling on the cartilage to get the boy's attention. His student's eyes flickered to him for a second, then moved back to the man in front of them when he caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned, and was met by the sight his brother's rifle. Pointed straight at him.

"What's going on?" the teen whispered, eyes wide with fear and shock.

"Retsu," Daisuke murmured, finger hovering menacingly over the trigger. "Please forgive me."

Click.

_BOOM!_

**_~OS~_**

_Why do I feel like I haven't gotten anywhere in the past ten minutes?_ Kurohana wondered, slowing to a walk. The buildings all looked the same, true, but this particular street seemed to go on forever. There were no roads leading off of it, not even a wide enough alley to go down. _Is is just my imagination, or something else?_

A chill ran up her spine at the thought, and something occurred to her. _What if Hebi's not really knocked out? What if I'm stuck in an illusion?_

To test her theory, she picked up a rock near her feet, one she'd run over countless times in the last few minutes, and hurled it ahead with all her strength. It flew through the air, completely normal, until a spot about thirty feet away. There, it shimmered and disappeared. Behind her, she heard a faint clinking noise, and knew that the stone had landed. She sighed.

"I know you're there Hebi, so show yourself!" Kurohana snarled. For a minute, nothing happened. Then, out of thin air, the man himself appeared right in front of her. He was cradling his collarbone, and she couldn't help but smirk. _Guess that part wasn't an illusion, huh?_

"It took you long enough," he said. She shrugged, absentmindedly twirling her makeshift staff.

"Whatever. I didn't think you'd actually show up so close," the girl observed. "Seems like kind of a bad idea."

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?"

"That's why I said it," she answered bluntly. "Well, doesn't really matter to me. I can kick your sorry ass all the way to next week and back in no time flat. It was your choice to show up though."

"I see time has done nothing for your smartass attitude," Hebi said snidely.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Kurohana smirked, taking a menacing step forward. The man, in turn, took a step back. With deadly speed, the girl jumped forward, pipe raised. To his credit, her opponent seemed to be expecting this, as he smiled evilly in response.

"Oh, attack me all you want," he said. "But could you hurt your friends too?" His face twisted grotesquely, and when he looked back up at her, it was Kazuki's face he wore.

She barely even hesitated. "What friends?" Kurohana asked, driving the butt of the staff into his stomach. He blanched, features quickly returning to normal as he crumpled to the ground. This time, she was taking no chances, and delivered a swift blow to his temple. The girl regarded the unconscious man with a bored look on her face. "If you're gonna waste my time, at least put up a goddamn fight," she said, voice dripping with contempt. "Illusionists. Once you take away their tricks, they're nothing."

_But even so, why did I go for the stomach?_ she thought, staring down the hand holding her weapon. _His face was what I was aiming at originally. So why couldn't I attack it anymore once he turned into the stupid blondie?_

Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, she fixed her gaze upon the street in front of her. The girl saw a person disappear into a building only yards away. They seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on who it was. Behind him, the white haired brat ran out from another street and followed them in. She heaved a weary sigh, lazily making her way over.

_May as well check out what's going on,_ she mused. Quickly enough, Kurohana reached the open warehouse door and peeked in. The kid, Retsu, looked like he was frozen to the spot. The same person from before was pointing a black, modern-looking sniper rifle at him. _The hell?!_ Alarm bells blared in her head, so much so that she barely caught the last words.

"Retsu, please forgive me."

What the? He wasn't actually going to do it was he? There was a clicking sound, impossibly loud in the quiet space, but she didn't even register it. Before she even knew what her feet were doing, Kurohana found herself flying at the boy, knocking him to the ground just as an explosion rocked the building.

**_~OS~_**

"The one an' only."

Those were Izumi's first words. He was smirking like mad, and didn't even seem to be struggling with the immense pressure the other man was putting on him. His backpack was slung over his shoulder, but the orange haired boy was only using one of his many knives.

"What the hell are you doing here, brat?" Shiro snarled.

"I missed ya too," Izumi replied, laughing. The man just glared.

"You couldn't possibly be thinking of helping him, could you?"

"Maybe I am, maybe not."

Realization dawned on Shiro's face, and he smiled gleefully. "Then that means I can kill you and not be in trouble."

"I suppose," the boy shrugged, then turned back to Kazuki, smiling brightly. "Are ya alright? You're Kazuki-san, correct? One a' Retsu's friends?"

The blonde could only nod dumbly, adding in at the end, "Just Kazuki's fine."

"Alright! Then just Izumi's good with me!" the younger teen said cheerfully, holding out a hand to help the other up. Kazuki tried to sit up to grab it, but nearly cried out at the sharp flash of pain that shot through his ankle. He dropped back to the ground, unaware of the stormy look that crossed Izumi's face as he looked back at Shiro.

"Did ya do this?" he asked icily, rolled green bandana slipping down to partially cover his eyes.

"And if I did?"

"...Then I'll have to pay ya back, won't I?" the boy stated, meeting the others gaze with calm eyes. Shiro knew though that behind that facade burned a fire of determination and will to win. And that was what had always scared him about the smaller male. During a fight, nothing seemed to psych him out. Always waiting, watching, calculating with those calm orange eyes. It both annoyed and irritated him, because he could never read Izumi's moves. The kid never showed emotion in a fight, so how could he?

Izumi held up a single knife, the same one he'd used to block the man's attack earlier. "This knife," he said.

"What?" Shiro asked, confused yet wary.

"This is the only knife I'll use to hit ya."

"And if you use any other?"

"Then I'll admit I lost."

This wasn't like the brat. This was too risky, too much of a gamble. What was going on in that little head of his?

"Ya don't trust me, do ya?" Izumi asked, breaking the man out of his thoughts.

"Not at all." Then, despite all his reasoning, his sense of survival, and his better judgment, "But I accept anyways. You've got one knife, and then you're done."

"Yup."

"Bring it on."

Kazuki watched this entire exchange in fascination. What kind of people were they, to bet on things like life so easily? He'd never seen anything like it.

Izumi circled his opponent, expressionless. He came to a stop again a few feet away from Kazuki, his grip on his knife tightening. Then, so suddenly that it was almost impossible to see, the boy reached back into his bag and withdrew two more knives. Fast as lightning, he threw them at Shiro. Thanks to his battle-honed reflexes, the man managed to get out of the way just in time to avoid being hit.

"Ha!" he cried. "I wi-" He stopped, staring in shock at the knife in his chest. "Wha? But-"

"I only used that knife to hit ya," Izumi said coldly. "The others were never meant to. Therefore, I win."

"Y-you sneaky...little...bastard," Shiro gritted out as he fell to the ground, unconscious.

It was all over in a flash, so fast that Kazuki had to convince himself that he'd seen it. It was scary, but amazing at the same time. _How'd we ever beat him? _the boy couldn't help but wonder.

"That was amazing!" he exclaimed out loud. Izumi, who seemed to have woken up from whatever kind of trance he'd been in before, blushed.

"It's nothin' special," the orange haired teen mumbled.

"No, it was really-" the blonde was interrupted by the clicking sound of a gun being loaded.

"Don't move!"

**_~OS~_**

Jun surveyed the scene in front of him and made the expected assumption. One guy lying on the ground, either unconscious or dead. A friend, injured and next to a confirmed enemy holding a bag of knife. End result of the thinking: There had been a fight which Kazuki had won, then had been attacked by one of the man's friends, and was now in danger.

"Don't move!" he yelled, aiming the gun straight at Izumi, who jumped.

"Me?!"

"Jun, calm down!" Kazuki cried. "I know this looks bad, but let me-"

_BOOM! _Before the blonde could continue, the sound of an explosion, and one that wasn't too far away, came. Loud enough to stop all speech and leave all of their ears ringing.

"What the hell was that?!" Jun shouted, uncovering his ears.

"I-I don't know," Izumi stammered.

"Ah!" Kazuki exclaimed, drawing both their attention. "That came from the direction that Restu went in!"

* * *

**More description on how they all got there next chapter!**


	27. The Reason for Following

**Well, this chapter was later than I wanted it to be. My bad. *sigh* Anyways, not much happens in this chapter. I've got to set everyone up and all. There will be a fight scene in the next chapter! I promise! **

**But anyways, onwards to reviews! We officially have 96! Woohoo! Is it possible to make it to 100 with this chapter? **

**dotYui:**** Thank you! I'm glad you liked it so much. This chapter came easier than I was expecting it to, so that made me happy! ^^ Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Who knows?**

**Reborn22:**** You'll see soon~ Actually, thing about that is, I'm stuck between two weapons. :P Well, hopefully the situation will decide itself (yeah right).**

**monochromez:**** Yeah, I like akita's too, although I have to say that my favorite dog's a labrador retriever. I had one of those when I was growing up, and I loved it so much! Things ****_are_ just warming up. The fight's only starting. I'm glad you liked the chapter. ^^ I like reading jealousy too, but I'm not that great at writing it. Still, that's a good idea...**

**For this chapter, there's some talk on the phone, so to avoid confusion (hopefully), here's a key!**

"This" =** Retsu's words**

"_This" = _**Kazuki's words**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 27: The Reason for Following

_Last Time:_

_**May as well check out what's going on**, she mused. Quickly enough, Kurohana reached the open warehouse door and peeked in. The kid, Retsu, looked like he was frozen to the spot. The same person from before was pointing a black, modern-looking sniper rifle at him. **The hell?!** Alarm bells blared in her head, so much so that she barely caught the last words._

"_Retsu, please forgive me."_

_What the? He wasn't actually going to do it was he? There was a clicking sound, impossibly loud in the quiet space, but she didn't even register it. Before she even knew what her feet were doing, Kurohana found herself flying at the boy, knocking him to the ground just as an explosion rocked the building. _

**_~OS~_**

It was dark. The entire world had gone black. _Am I dead?_ Retsu wondered briefly.

"_Shit_, that hurts!" An angry voice broke the silence, followed by a hiss of pain.

_No, guess not._ the boy decided. "Kurohana, is that you?"

"Fuck off," was her terse answer. Yep, definitely Kurohana.

"Are you alright?" he asked, trying in vain to see her through the smoke and dust cloaking the air around them, which had been giving the illusion of darkness. His mind was still reeling, trying to piece together all that had just happened.

Dai...Dai had actually tried to _kill_ him, but at the last second, someone had tackled him to the ground. Then, an explosion had gone off, and that was probably the reason for all the smoke. But why an explosion? This entire thing made no sense. He rubbed his head wearily, trying to stave off the headache he felt coming on.

"Yeah, just peachy," the girl gritted out through clenched teeth, clutching her side. Stupid boy, stupid gun, stupid body, stupid, stupid, _stupid_. "It's only a flesh wound."

Tracing Kurohana's voice to her, he could just barely make out a slim, kneeling figure through the darkness. Her long hair, usually flared out in that messy, almost spiked way, hung limp around her head and back, and she was holding her left side tightly. Retsu couldn't make out her face, but he could tell she was in pain just from her voice.

"What happened?" the teen asked shakily, crawling over to where she was.

"I don't owe you anymore, that's what happened," Kurohana snapped, finally moving her hand to get a better look at her wound. She winced, and Retsu, who was now close enough to see, gasped.

The bullet itself was no where in sight. It appeared to have passed straight through her left side, leaving a small hole in its place. What really shocked them though was the few inches of burnt skin surrounding the wound. It wasn't burnt black, but it was raw and angry looking, and undoubtedly very painful.

"Oh god," Retsu whispered, moving his hand as if to touch it, but retracting it almost immediately, deciding against the action. "How did...what...that's not-"

"I don't know how it happened," the girl cut him off, tiring of his apparent inability to finish a sentence. "All I know is that when I get my hands on whoever did this, I'm going to make sure they lose a couple body parts."

"Good to see that you don't hold grudges," her companion said dryly. She snorted.

"I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I'm not exactly the most forgiving person on Earth."

"Yeah, somehow I missed that," he gave a small smile, but it was gone seconds later as he began searching around for something. Or someone. "Hey, where's Reborn?"

"You mean the baby you always have with you?"

He nodded in response. Kurohana shrugged.

"Hell if I know. Must have gotten blown away," she mused. Both teens were silent for a moment, lost in their thoughts. That is, until a few shrill notes pierced through the quiet, making them jump. Quickly, Retsu whipped out his cellphone and hit the mute button, effectively silencing it. He could almost feel the threatening vibes coming from the red eyed girl next to him.

"Sorry," he whispered, flipping open the device to see who had called. Kurohana could have strangled him then and there.

"Sorry?!" she hissed. "There's a madman with a gun out there! You could have gotten us killed! Why the hell do you have your phone with you anyways?!"

"Just in case," he replied defensively, not looking up from the screen. He hit the redial button, then brought the phone up to his ear. Two rings later, Kazuki picked up.

"_Hello?"_

"It's Retsu," the boy replied, then pulled it away from his ear to avoid being deafened by the others next words.

"_Oh thank god you're okay!"_ the blonde exclaimed. _"We heard an explosion, and thought something might have happened! What's going on?"_

"I don't have a lot of time," Retsu said quietly. "I'll explain later. Where are you?"

"_We just finished a fight, and were planning on heading towards you-"_

"No!" he cut his friend off harshly. "Don't come over here! Go call the police, no, an ambulance! Just run away!"

"_But-" _Retsu hung up before anything else could be said.

"Cryptic, much?" Kurohana commented unhelpfully. "You could have at least explained this to him."

"No time. I asked him to call for help," he informed her. "The hospital's not too far away, and neither is the police station, so it should take fifteen minutes at most for them to get here."

"I kind of doubt we have fifteen minutes," the girl said grimly, eyes focusing in on a figure moving towards them through the smoke.

**_~OS~_**

Kazuki hung up his phone with a sigh, ignoring the curious looks Jun and Izumi were giving him. When he finally turned to face them, he gave a sheepish smile.

"I take it that didn't go too well," the orange haired boy observed. The soccer player shook his head.

"He told us to run away and call the police."

"What a shame," Jun sighed. "It's really too bad that we have no way to call them."

"What do you mean?" Kazuki asked, obviously not getting it. He held up his cellphone. "I have my-"

Before he could even finish, his black haired friend had already stolen the blue device. He turned it over in his hand pensively, then shrugged, throwing it to the ground at his feet.

"Like I said," he slammed his foot down onto the phone, breaking it. "Too bad we have no way to call them."

There was complete silence for a moment, both of the other boys trying to take in what had just happened. Jun just stood there, a cocky smirk on his face.

"Y-you broke it!" the blonde finally exclaimed, picking up his cell, which was now cracked and broken beyond repair. "That was my only phone!"

"Pity," was the others cool response. He didn't look the least bit apologetic. "Moving on, let's get going."

Kazuki, who had been kneeling on the ground mourning the loss of his phone, looked up at him curiously. "Get going? Where?"

"To Retsu, of course."

"But he said-"

"I know what he said, but he also said to call for help," Jun explained slowly. "So in order to do that..."

"We'd need to find 'im and borrow his phone!" Izumi finished, brightening considerably at the realization. "Wow, that's really smart!"

The other boy gave him a suspicious look. "What are you even doing here anyways? Aren't you on their side?"

The younger teen looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "Well, ya guys saved me, so I wanted to do something for ya too, and besides, I didn't like Shiro that much either, so it was kind of like killin' two birds with one stone-" Jun held up a hand as a sign to stop, and he quickly cut off his rambling.

"How did you find us?" Kazuki asked. There was nothing accusing or suspicious in his tone, just simple curiosity. Izumi visibly relaxed at the question.

"When I woke up this morning, Retsu-san had already left for school," he began. "There was a note on my head, and a long haired Chinese guy sitting in a chair near me."

"Jing?" the blonde questioned, and the orange haired boy gave him a sheepish look.

"Don't know. He didn't say," Izumi shrugged, then continued. "Anyways, he told me that all of ya were coming here to fight the other 6 Zodiacs."

"So he asked you to help us?"

He shook his head. "No. Just that ya were on the way, and then he left. I decided to come on my own. Besides..." he trailed off, and some unrecognizable emotion passed over his face. "I-I've got some stuff to clear up with the boss."

His companions looked at him, then at each other. "Why not?" Kazuki mouthed to his friend. Jun gave a heavy sigh of defeat.

"Fine! He can tag along!" he snapped. Izumi met his gaze with surprise, then smiled gratefully.

"Alright then!" their blonde friend exclaimed happily. "Let's move out!" He tried to stand, but fell back to the ground with a thud and a wince. "...Or not," he said sheepishly, looking at his injured ankle with dismay.

"Idiot, what did you do?" Jun muttered, bending down to get a better look at it.

"Speak for yourself," Kazuki grumbled indignantly, motioning towards the others hurt arm. He'd wrapped what was left of his uniform top around it, leaving him in only a red T-shirt and jeans, but already, small drops of blood were starting to get through the fabric. "How'd that happen?"

"I was careless," was the only explanation. "But I beat Usagi, and I'm fine."

"Yeah right," the blonde snorted incredulously, though his worried look removed any bite the words may have had. Izumi watched the two friends silently for a few moments, then spoke up.

"Why don't I go ahead and help him, and you two follow at your own pace?" he suggested, already turning away.

"Hold on," Jun's order was accompanied by the clicking sound of a gun being loaded and aimed. The boy's eyes flicked back coolly, and he raised his hands to his head in a sign of surrender. This did nothing to relax the sprinter. "If you move another step, I swear I'll shoot. I still don't trust you. Who's to say that this isn't all part of some plan, and you're just going to attack him the second you get there?"

"I guess you don't have any proof, do ya?" the younger boy said.

"So why would we let you go?" Though not as harsh as Jun's, Kazuki's question cut just as deep. He was leaning on his friend, but still looked like he was prepared to fight if necessary. Izumi looked back and forth between the two injured boys sadly.

"Think about it," he begged. "If I really wanted to hurt ya, I would have no problems. Both of ya are already heavily injured, and wouldn't stand a chance. What do I have to gain from this?"

No reaction from either of them. He sighed.

"I promise that I won't hurt Retsu-san," Izumi said seriously, eyes darkening to an almost amber shade. "If ya think I'm lying, ya can kill me now."

The tension in the air was so thick it was almost tangible. Neither party was willing to look away and back down from this. But finally, Jun did. He returned his gun to the holster on his hip, then met Izumi's startled eyes with a piercing glare.

"Go," he ordered. "But let me warn you, we're following right after. If anything, and I mean anything, bad happens to Retsu and it's your fault, we'll hunt you down and kill you. No matter what."

The last words seemed to hang in the air, making the smaller teen gulp involuntarily. "A-Alright. But before I go, one last question. Why do ya all follow him?"

"...Why do you follow the person you work for?" Kazuki asked bluntly. "We're his friends, and I'm not sure about the whole "following" thing, but we fight with him because he's Retsu. Do we need any other reason?"

"No, I guess not," Izumi admitted, nodding slightly. "Well, thanks. I'll be leaving now. See ya there!"

"Don't you dare forget our promise!" Jun called after his retreating form.

"Wouldn't dream of it," the boy murmured to himself, speeding up. "Retsu-san...what an interesting family ya have."


	28. Family

**Hey guys! I have a few important issues to address today. First, the popularity poll. For those of you who haven't voted, please do! We have a first place, but everyone else is tied for second! Please! Their popularity depends on it! Second, I've got pictures of some of the characters up on deviantart! Links on my profile!**

**You did it! I love you all! 102 reviews! *throws party in background* **

**dotYui:**** Good to know. ^^ And yes, they do get a lot of injuries, but so do everyone else! Theirs are just the most notable. Probably. :p At this point in the story, he kind of was acting mad, but Kurohana's like that to everybody. **

**Blakk Magic:**** Thank you very much. It makes me happy to know someone feels that way. ^^**

**YuukiChan95:**** I'm glad you like it so much. Thanks a lot!**

**Rikulz:**** It's fine! We all have our sick days. And yes, you are the 100th reviewer! Reborn comes back, don't worry! Kazuki and Jun are giving him a hard time because they don't trust him. Well, he ****_was_ working for the 6 Zodiacs before, and he could very well have been going to help his boss kill Retsu, so I thought it was perfectly justified. I'm glad you like Izumi though. Your friend's theory sounds interesting, and I'd love to see some of the manga he draws. **

**Reborn22:**** Yes he is! And I'd love a cookie. ^^**

**monochromez:**** Same here about the labs. I'm a big dog person. I'm glad you think so. Yeah, Jun was a little crazy last chapter, but it was necessary and I couldn't resist. I wonder what I would have had them say if Izumi had actually said that to them. ^^ Thanks, and hope you like the chapter!**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 28: Family

_Last Time:_

"_No time. I asked him to call for help," he informed her. "The hospital's not too far away, and neither is the police station, so it should take fifteen minutes at most for them to get here."_

"_I kind of doubt we have fifteen minutes," the girl said grimly, eyes focusing in on a figure moving towards them through the smoke._

**_~OS~_**

For a moment, both teenagers remained exactly where they were, seemingly frozen in place. The building was silent, save for the muffled footsteps drawing closer to them. Retsu almost forgot to breathe.

It was Kurohana who moved first. She pushed herself up into a crouch, touching a finger to his lips when he opened his mouth to protest.

"Shut up and follow me," she ordered. "You make any noise whatsoever and I swear I'll kill you." He could only nod in response.

The pair crept through the darkness, slowly making their way towards the exit. All went well, but Retsu began to have a strange nagging feeling in the back of his mind. It only grew stronger as they went, until it was almost unbearable. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore, and pulled Kurohana to a stop a few feet away from where the exit presumably was.

"What?!" she hissed.

"I-I don't know," he stammered in response. "It's just...something doesn't feel right."

That got her attention. "What the hell do you mean?" the girl asked.

"Well," he searched for an answer, knowing that 'I had this weird feeling telling me to stop' probably wasn't going to cut it. "Wouldn't there be light from the doorway?"

"We're surrounded by smoke and dust," Kurohana pointed out flatly, motioning to the air around them. "I'm not exactly killing myself with worry over that."

"Still, the door was wide open when we came in."

"It could have been blown shut with the explosion."

"There'd still be _some_ light," he insisted. His companion gave him a thoughtful look.

"So what are you saying?" she finally asked. In response, Retsu began searching the air around them, probing the space with his hands. Kurohana just watched in a mixture of confusion and involuntary curiosity. Finally, the boy's hand hit something hard, and he stopped with a triumphant smile.

"Come take a look at this," he whispered. With a roll of her eyes, the girl reluctantly complied, walking over to him.

"I don't get why you're acting so-" she stopped herself when her hand made contact with the wall of wooden beams and dirt in front of them. "...Oh," she said sheepishly, mentally kicking herself for not even considering the possibility that something may have collapsed in front of the doorway. "Well, I guess that's a good enough reason then."

Retsu only nodded in agreement, though there was a trace of smugness on his face that he couldn't quite hide. It didn't go unnoticed by the other teen, but she decided to let it slide. For now.

"What now?" Kurohana asked. "We can't just stay here. We need to get out before something..." she trailed off, attention drawn to a small red dot dancing across her chest. _Oh shit, _she swore vehemently to herself. Her body was frozen to the spot, refusing to budge no matter how much she told it to.

Retsu's eyes widened in horror, accompanied by a sharp intake of breath. Without thinking, he flung himself toward his friend. "Get down!" he yelled, shoving her to the ground just in time.

A beam of searing hot red flame shot over their heads, frying the tips of his hair. The second it collided with the blockade, the dirt and wood exploded in a violent scarlet burst, spraying flaming shrapnel every which way. The boy brought up a hand to protect his head from any further damage, still shielding the shocked girl.

The barrage ended just as quickly as it had begun. Retsu wasted no time in pulling Kurohana to her feet, taking advantage of the smoke screen to make a quick escape from that spot. "Are you okay?" he asked.

His voice seemed to snap her out of her dazed state. "Hm? Yeah, just fine." The answer was somewhat lacking in the girl's signature rudeness/arrogance, but he could understand that. "How about you keep your worrying to yourself, dumbass," was the quick follow-up. He hadn't been expecting gratitude, and he wasn't disappointed. The teen shook his head ruefully.

_Still, it's good to have her back to normal I guess,_ he mused, shuddering at the thought of a weak, vulnerable Kurohana. Now _that_ would be really scary.

"Oi, just what are you imagining?" she asked irritably, seeing him shudder in horror. "It wouldn't be about me, would it?"

"W-What?! No!" Retsu replied in surprise. Apparently, the response was a little too quick for the girl's liking.

"It was, wasn't it?"

"...Hey, look over there!" he said, pointing in a random direction. Much to his surprise, she actually fell for it, turning her head to see what he was pointing to.

"Ah, you're right," she admitted grudgingly.

"Wait, what?" The boy did a double-take. "I mean of course I am!"

"Good job finding the _baby_." Sarcasm and contempt dripped off the words. "I'm sure he'll be lots of help."

"You have no idea," he sighed tiredly, still processing what she'd said. Then it hit him. The baby? "Reborn?!"

A sharp kick to the shins answered that question. "Ciaossu," Reborn greeted them in his usual way, completely ignoring the fact that Retsu was kneeling and nursing his injured leg. Kurohana raised an eyebrow.

"What was that for?!" the boy hissed, thankfully remembering at the last second that they had to be quiet. "And where the hell were you?"

"No swearing." The infant flicked his student between the eyes to emphasize his point. "I don't answer to you."

"What?!"

"Shut the hell up!" the red eyed girl finally said in a tone that suggested you listen, or you were going to get hurt. "Jeez! What does a girl got to do to get some peace and quiet around here?! ...Although," she paused, giving Reborn a critical look. "The idiot has a point. Where've you been?"

"Leon was blown away," the tiny hitman replied, pointing to the green blob, which had started glowing in the half-light. "I had to go get him. And while I was there, he gave me this." He held out a hand which was completely dwarfed by four silver rods, each about a foot long. They were connected by hinges, and had they not been folded up, the entire thing would have been...

"A staff?" Kurohana realized, gingerly reaching for the weapon. Reborn smirked.

"Yes."

"_Leon_ gave that to you?" Retsu repeated doubtfully, eying the metallic staff in the girl's hands. "Please explain to me how that works. He's a _chameleon_."

"He's also my partner, and can create weapons and spin threads within his body," the baby explained irritably. "How else do you think I get all those bullets for you?"

"I've never thought about it. I was too busy running around like I'd lost my mind after I'd been shot," the boy answered snidely. Then, he turned to his other companion with a puzzled look. "Hang on a second, didn't Jun already give you a staff earlier?"

She scratched her head in embarrassment, looking away. "Yume dropped it when you pushed her out of the way during the fight with Hebi."

"Who?"

"The illusionist I fought," she clarified, sending him a scathing glare over the interruption.

"Oh. Please continue."

"And the support I pulled out of the fire escape-"

"You took a support from a fire escape?!" The glare intensified, and he shut his mouth immediately.

"_Anyways_," she continued angrily. "I lost that outside when I rushed in to save _you_!"

"..." Silence. Retsu was at a loss for words. But maybe that's what saved them, because it gave the girl a chance to notice that something was amiss.

"Is it just me, or did it get really quiet in here?" Kurohana observed in a guarded voice, eyes alert and watchful. It was true; there were no falling rocks, and no footsteps. Which meant that everything that had just been said could have been heard even if the listener were on the other side of the room. Which meant they'd just given away their position.

Which meant they were in trouble.

"Duck, stupid Retsu," Reborn ordered, kicking out the backs of his student's knees. The boy fell with a thud, just in time to avoid being hit by another beam of fire that shot overhead only seconds later.

The other teen, who'd sensed it coming, had already thrown herself to the ground and rolled out of the way. She picked herself up immediately, filled with renewed confidence now that she had a familiar weapon and ready to fight. She scanned the area where the blast had originated from, searching for their attacker. Finally, the girl pinpointed his location. With a smirk, she stood.

"Stay here," she ordered Retsu. "Just be quiet and don't get in the way."

"Where are you going?"

Kurohana flashed him a smile that sent shivers up the boys spine. "Out to play."

And with that, she darted off, weaving through the smoke in such a way that within a minute she was no longer visible. Readying herself for the fight, basking in the rush of adrenalin, and that dangerous, on the edge feeling; this was what she lived for. She couldn't be happier. Her wound was nothing more than a memory, the pain lost in the haze of blood lust and excitement.

The red dot appeared once again, this time centering itself on her arm. But now, she was prepared. _That's right, shoot at me_, the girl thought with satisfaction. _Show me exactly where you are, you bastard_.

As predicted, the attack soon followed, piercing through the air like a knife. She sped up and ducked, eyes trained on the source of the beam. When it let up, she sprinted forward, plowing a path through the darkness towards her opponent with a manic grin.

He never saw it coming. In a flash, she was only inches away, staff fully outstretched and poised right below his jaw. It was then that she got her first good look at his face, and she almost gasped in astonishment.

"Wait, you're the brat's brother, right?" Kurohana demanded sharply. "What the hell do you think you're doing shooting at him?! Don't you two love each other? You're brothers, for god's sake!"

The man, Daisuke if she remembered correctly, gave her one of the saddest looks she's ever seen. "Of course we are," he replied, voice thick with sorrow. "And that's why I have to be the one to kill him."

"What?!" she cried. The situation was bringing up memories that she'd rather forget, thoughts that she didn't want to think about. "That's bullshit! You're family! Don't ruin what you have! Family's love each other, they protect each other! Don't destroy that! Don't make Retsu into someone who can't trust others! If he doesn't have you, who's he going to turn to? Don't..." _Don't make him like me!_

She wasn't acting like herself, but whatever these weird emotions were, they were overwhelming the girl, making her say things she would never ordinarily say. Maybe she'd think them, but never actually voice those thoughts. Because that wasn't Kurohana. Kurohana was tough and strong. She didn't let things like this get to her. And yet...what was happening to her?

In a fit of blind, reckless emotion, she swung her weapon towards him, desperately trying to make him go away. If he wasn't there, she'd return to normal, right?

There was a hiss of steam, and the staff became heavy in her hands. With a startled look, she switched her gaze to it. This time, she actually did gasp.

In her hand was no longer a staff, but a long, bladed weapon. The metal had turned to black wood, and a short red thread was tied at the very top, where the shaft met the blade. Twin gold bells hung off the ends of the thread, and they jingled pleasantly at the slightest movement. A translucent, blue-glass blade extended for another two feet off the wood, curving slightly to the left. All together, the weapon was about six feet tall, and one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen.

"A naginata," Kurohana breathed in amazement. "I've never seen one like this. But...how?"

From his position next to Retsu, Reborn smirked, the brim of his hat falling to shade his eyes. "I knew she was a good choice for the family."

* * *

**Alright, Izumi's in next chapter. I just couldn't fit him in this one. Sorry! Also, the thing with the staffs, I can honestly say that was a bit of a plot hole. :p I forgot about the first one, and the second just kind of fit in there, so... My bad!**


	29. The Hidden Room

**Remember the good old days when I thought that updating three days after my last chapter was late? Well, does anyone know where they went? Cause I miss them a lot. T.T**

**But enough of my whining! On to other things!**

**dotYui:**** Glad to hear that. Kurohana has not had a happy life, that much can definitely be said. But now she's hanging out with Retsu & co., so things'll get better. ^^ And Daisuke...you'll see. I looked up naginatas, and that's about how tall they are. Don't worry, I'm 5' 4''. I'm short too. T.T You're welcome, and thanks!**

**Rikulz:**** He made it while he was making Retsu's weapon. I didn't think about that too much though. :p Really? If you do, I'd love to see it! ^^ Yeah, I live in NY, but not the city. More like the middle of nowhere. His story sounds cool! I don't know, the plot just kind of turned out that way. *shrugs* Oh, Dai. Things'll work out, don't worry (I think).**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 29: The Hidden Room

_Last Time:_

"_A naginata," Kurohana breathed in amazement. "I've never seen one like this. But...how?"_

_From his position next to Retsu, Reborn smirked, the brim of his hat falling to shade his eyes. "I knew she was a good choice for the family."_

**_~OS~_**

"Hm?" Retsu turned his attention away from the shadows in the smoke. He couldn't really see what was going on, but there was just enough light to project the two's figures through the dark clouds. All movement seemed to have stopped, which puzzled him. "You say something?"

"Nothing that would matter to you," the baby responded. His student shot him a glare, but left it at that because Dai had started to move again. The teen watched in horror as his older brother lifted his gun and pointed it at Kurohana.

"Watc-!" he started, but was almost immediately cut off by Reborn giving him a quick slap to the face.

"Kurohana's a big girl," he reprimanded. "She can take care of herself."

Sure enough, the girl had seen the attack coming. Breaking out of her daze, she brought up the naginata in such a way that the barrel of the rifle was redirected at the last second, the blast sent hurtling towards the ceiling. Both fighters jumped back to avoid the falling debris that soon followed, sizing the other up through the shingles, concrete, and wood plummeting to the ground. Their gazes locked for a moment before a large shingle passed between, severing the connection.

Kurohana took the opportunity to inspect her new weapon, and was pleasantly surprised with what she found. It was a comfortable weight for her, and the blade was every bit as sharp as it appeared. She gave it an experimental swing, and, evidently liking the results, smirked. _Know what? Who cares how I got it. As long as it works, I've got no complaints, _she decided.

The rain of debris had started to trickle to a stop when the two made their move. As if in sync, both leapt forward, at the same time as a pebble began to fall from the ceiling. Before it had even touched the ground, they were at each others throats, blocking, parrying, and exchanging blows at an unreal pace.

For someone who fought with a long distance weapon, Daisuke could sure keep up well in a close combat battle. He couldn't fire, but the rifle happened to make an excellent blunt object. A fact that Kurohana found out the hard way when it connected with her leg. Letting out a hiss of pain, she swung the naginata recklessly, hoping to put some distance between them. It worked, and the man backed up considerably. It was then, however, that she realized that was what he'd been waiting for, and that she just hadn't given him a chance to get away. Until now.

_Shit! I fell for it!_ she berated herself, helplessly watching as Dai pulled the trigger and fired. But the attack wasn't directed at her. No, it was going in a different direction altogether.

"Get out of the way, dumbass!" Kurohana cried, already knowing she was too far away to be of any help. Retsu would have to rely on himself for this one. Great. Just great.

Hearing the girl's warning, the boy turned, coming face to face with the beam. His eyes widened, the red fire reflected in their amethyst depths. Acting on pure instinct and will to live, the teen threw himself to the side, desperate to get away. He successfully evaded the actual attack, but was still blown back by the explosion created when it hit the wall.

He was flung through the air with a sudden feeling of weightlessness, but it was over far too soon. Retsu collided with a wall, all the air in his lungs leaving him upon impact. _Not again,_ he thought, remembering back to his fight with Kurohana. _Why's it always got to be a wall? A mattress, or a pillow, those would hurt less. But noooo, it's got to be a hard, solid- wait, what's going on?_

Retsu was cut off mid-rant by the feeling of falling back. The seemingly hard, solid wall was collapsing behind him, and all he could think was: Y_ou've got to be kidding me. _He tumbled back into the space behind, still in shock. He didn't even have to regain his footing before tripping over what felt suspiciously like the edge of a stair and plummeting down further into the darkness.

From where she stood, all Kurohana could see was that one minute the boy had been there, the next, he was gone.

_You have to help him!_ Yume exclaimed from inside her head. Just then, Dai lunged forward, apparently deciding to finish with her first and then go after Retsu. She ducked, bringing up her weapon horizontally to catch the gun, thus ensuring that, at least for the moment, he wouldn't be able to shoot her.

_A little busy right now,_ she grimly told her other self, eyes narrowing in concentration.

**_~OS~_**

A column of red fire shot through the sky, originating from a building a few blocks away. It startled Izumi, causing him to jump a few feet in the air. _I think I found 'em,_ he observed dryly, changing course so that he was heading in that direction. If there was a more obvious way to tell someone your location, he'd yet to find it.

Sprinting through the alleys and maze-like streets, he quickly found his way to the building where the fighting was taking place, if the half-collapsed walls and scorch marks were anything to go by. It had definitely seen better days, that was for sure. The concrete sides were caving in on themselves, and a cloud of smoke and dust hung in the air around it.

He ran to the door and tried to push it open, but it wouldn't budge. Try as he might, he still couldn't get the door to move, and finally had to accept that something was probably blocking it, and that he'd have to find another way in. Scanning the area for anything helpful, he soon found that there was nothing else he could use. The windows, all two of them, were a mess of shattered glass and crumbling wall. No other doors were visible, and he was just about to start panicking when he remembered the beam from before. Hadn't it been in the sky? And to do that, it would have had to have gone through the ceiling.

Climbing up to the roof was simple. There were so many stray rocks and cracks in the wall that it made the climb almost too easy. Upon reaching the roof, Izumi was relieved to see that yes, there _was_ a giant hole in the ceiling. Looking into it, all he could see was a small pile of fallen rubble. Everything else was cloaked in darkness.

_No choice then, huh? _he thought, stepping closer to the edge and preparing to jump. _Hope I don't regret this!_

The orange haired teen dropped through the opening, landing on the ground below with cat-like grace. He straightened, searching for any signs of Retsu. What he found was that he'd landed in the middle of a fight. The fighters, the girl who'd been controlled by Tora and Daisuke, were both giving him surprised looks, though the girl's had more of a quizzical air to it.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt, but do ya know where I can find Retsu-san?" he asked, directing his question at the one who he thought was more likely to answer. She raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth as if to say something, but shut it quickly, cocking her head as if listening to someone. She nodded once, gave him a doubtful look, then sighed.

"Whatever you say, Yume," she muttered quietly, before looking up and addressing the question. "The idiot you are looking for is over there," she pointed to a gaping hole in the back wall, then continued. "If you want like to kill him, by all means, go ahead, but could you find out what the hell he's doing first? Cause I'm kind of curious, and I'm too busy to find out for myself." She motioned to her opponent.

"...That's it?" Izumi was shocked. Shouldn't there be a little more hesitation at the very least? And telling him so easily that he could kill Retsu...was this her real personality? Scary. Wouldn't want her working for him.

"You expecting me to stop you?" Kurohana seemed amused by this. "No way. Go on ahead. If I finish here early, I'll come help you. Not that you'll need it," she amended herself.

"I'm not going to kill him," the boy answered, not really knowing what else to say. He didn't notice how her grip on the naginata loosened considerably at his words.

"Damn," she swore, seemingly disappointed. "Well, whatever. Get going." And with a dismissive wave of her hand, she turned away, ignoring him completely.

_What a weird person,_ Izumi thought with a small smile. _Still...at least she helped me out. Maybe she's not so bad! _

He followed the direction she'd pointed in and soon found the hole. What appeared to be concrete was actually a disguised wooden door. This was now visible because of the jagged, broken edges on the boards, an effect that wouldn't have been possible had it been concrete. It looked as if someone had fallen through it, and the boy couldn't help but sweat-drop. "What'd you do to end up here?" he wondered out loud, cautiously stepping through.

After softly probing the ground and affirming that there were no white haired boy lying there, he set his foot down. The rest of him soon followed, and then he paused, giving his orange eyes a moment to adjust to the blackness. If it was possible, it was even darker in here due to the lack of a man-made skylight.

The teen carefully stepped forward, but...

"AH!"

...apparently not carefully enough. He just barely managed to catch himself on the side railing before falling down the flight of stairs before him.

"Thank god," Izumi heaved a sigh of relief before moving down another step. He checked to make sure his footing on this one was secure, then began to descend. "Falling down a flight of stairs," he mused to himself absently. "Now _that_ would've been bad."

**_~OS~_**

Meanwhile, at the bottom of those very same stairs, Retsu groaned, slowly sitting up and rubbing his aching back. _Note to self,_ he grumbled in his head._ Try not to fall down stairs. It really hurts._

"At least nothing's broken," Reborn put in, appearing by his side with a small smile. "You can be thankful for that."

"Yeah, thankful's just what I'm feeling right now," he muttered. "I didn't see you falling with me."

"Of course not," was the smug response. The reply grated on his nerves, and was about to make some comment on it when his attention was drawn away by the door in front of him. It was plain steel, with a few rusted patches here and there. A latch was bolted on to one side.

"Now why would there be a hidden underground room in a warehouse?" Retsu couldn't help but ask.

"Why don't you find out?" the baby suggested, nudging the boy forward. He nodded, curious to see what was on the other side.

You know what they say: curiosity killed the cat.

He pushed the door open, and for a moment could see nothing in the dark room. _Typical_, he thought._ Why's everything in here so dark? Would it kill them to put a light...in... _The teen stopped in his train of thought as his eyes adjusted. There was a moment of tense silence, when neither of the pair moved. Then, as if he'd been bitten, Retsu recoiled in shock and horror.

"W-what the hell is this place?!"


	30. Mosca

**Disclaimer: It feels like forever since I've last done this. I DO NOT own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

**I'm tired. *yawn * Got a lot going on lately, almost no free time, apparently can't even write full sentences. You know, the usual. ^^ Anyways, 3 reviews for this chapter. ^^ **

**dotYui:**** He is! Well, you'll find out this chapter, won't you? ^^ Actually, Izumi went ahead of them. That's what that whole thing with the gun was about a couple chapters ago. Yeah, this was shorter than I wanted it to be, but oh well. :p**

**Rikulz:**** Thanks. And yes, she is. I don't know if she'll ever admit it. Oh wow, I hope I can see it! And it doesn't have to be in color. A song...I'll be honest, I haven't thought of one yet. It's weird, I know. It'd probably be rock, or heavy metal, or anything generally badass. Same for clothes. Usually she wears a white shirt and black capris, but whatever works for you. ^^**

**Reborn22:**** It's fine. I'm glad you could review this time! ^^**

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Our Sky

Chapter 30: Mosca

"W-what the hell is this place?!" Retsu hurriedly stepped back, stunned. He could feel himself shaking, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. "T-this is..."

"Calm down," Reborn ordered. "You're overreacting."

"But-"

"Retsu-san?" a voice echoed from the stairs behind them, making the called for teen jump. "Are ya there?"

As he tried to recall where he'd heard that accent before, Izumi stepped out of the shadows obscuring the top half of the flight of steps, a quizzical look on his face. It quickly morphed to one of relief when he saw Retsu.

"Found ya," the boy said with a happy smile. But this expression didn't last long either, as it replaced by concern when he received no acknowledgment. "What's wrong?"

In response, Retsu only pointed at the open door before them, still not properly registering what was happening. The younger jumped over the last steps to land on the ground at the base, looking past his companions to the room. His eyes widened, mouth opening and closing, trying to say words that weren't coming out.

Both were silent until the white haired teen seemed to regain enough composure to at least remember who he was talking to. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Eh?" Izumi pointed to himself questioningly, as if not sure if he was who Retsu was addressing. When the other nodded, he reached back to scratch his head sheepishly. "I came to help ya."

"Help us? Why?"

"'Cause," he answered unhelpfully. The pair before him exchanged skeptical looks.

"Whatever," Retsu sighed. "You don't have to tell us right now."

The orange haired boy looked up sharply, startled. "That's it?"

"I figure that you ran into Kurohana up above, which means you also met Yume. Seeing as Dai isn't following you down, I'm taking that as a sign you didn't attack her, and that's good enough for me," he explained flatly. "Besides, even if you were here to kill me, it's not like there's anything I could do. And I think you probably would have gotten rid of me already, seeing as there's no reason for you to let me live at this point."

"...Ya know, that actually made a lot of sense," Izumi said, nodding in agreement.

_Should I be offended that he already seems to think that saying smart stuff is rare for me, even though we just met?_ Retsu wondered offhandedly, but quickly gave up on the idea. _Nah. It's not worth it._

"If you two are done, how about coming over here and finding a light switch?" Reborn called from the other room.

"When'd you get over there?!" his student exclaimed. "And let's leave! I don't want to go in there, and now that Izumi's here, we stand a chance against Dai! We're done! We don't have anything else to do!"

"You still don't get it," the baby reprimanded, walking back to where they were. "You're nowhere near done. You've only scratched the surface of this entire thing, and the mastermind behind this hasn't been caught yet, have they?"

"Well-"

"I'm right, and you know it," Reborn continued, ignoring the interruption. "Now you can stop being a coward and face up to this, or you can run back to the safety of your old life, always living in fear of the unknown and never taking any chances."

The air between the pair was tense as they glared at each other, unyielding and unmerciful. Finally, Retsu sighed heavily, angrily making his way over to the door. "Geez, why do you always blow stuff so out of proportion?" he murmured just loud enough for the infant to hear. "Normally, anyone would choose to return to their old life, right? So what am I doing actually listening?"

"Who knows."

"I hate it when you say that," the boy informed him with a small smile. "It always makes me feel really dumb." Without waiting for an answer, or perhaps knowing he wasn't going to get one, he then walked forward, letting the darkness temporarily swallow him as his hands searched the wall for a light switch. He found one fairly quickly, flicking it on without giving himself any time to rethink or imagine what was waiting for him.

Because although it had been dark when he'd first looked into the room, he'd been able to clearly make out the outlines of bodies.

Unmoving bodies.

Unmoving, very human-like bodies.

And his suspicions were proven correct when he turned to face the now-lit space and was met with the sight of dozens of human bodies, all unmoving with their blank eyes staring ahead into nothing. He struggled to repress the urge to close his eyes and run away from the scene.

A sharp intake of breath alerted him to Izumi's presence beside him. "I didn't know...I've never...oh god," the younger breathed, unable to say anything else. "This isn't-"

"I know it's not your fault," Retsu cut in with a shake of his head. "You don't have to say it; I understand."

"Before you start grieving, I'd take a look at the bodies themselves," Reborn suggested, trotting up to them. "Something isn't right here. Don't tell me you can't feel it too, because I know you can."

"Y-yeah." It was true. He _had_ been getting this weird feeling, but he assumed it was just the atmosphere of the room itself. Apprehensively, he approached the closest of the prone figures, a young man with brown hair, slowly reaching out a hand towards the arm. He paused just above the skin, hovering there for a moment before steeling himself and grabbing it.

"I-it's cold!" he exclaimed.

"Of course it's cold," Izumi said sadly. "They're dead."

"No no, it feels like metal," the other clarified. "Come here and see for yourself."

Curious, the smaller boy did as he was told. He too was hesitant to touch the body, but with much coaxing from Retsu, he eventually reached out for a quick tap on the arm. "You're right," he admitted with surprise. "But why?"

"Maybe they're robots," Reborn supplied.

"Technology hasn't advanced enough to make robots like this," Retsu answered, but even he didn't sound completely convinced. There weren't really any other reasonable explanations.

"Don't underestimate the mafia."

"Well, let's take a look, then decide for ourselves what they are," Izumi suggested, trying to appease them.

"Sounds like a good idea," his teenage companion agreed grudgingly. Reborn only nodded, and the two boys got to work searching for anything useful. Every once and a while, they had to reach out and touch the robots, just to assure themselves that they were indeed made of metal and not flesh and bones. "This creeps me out," Retsu finally stated. "They look too human."

"I completely agree," Izumi said with a nod just as he noticed a bright square of metal on the shoulder of the machine in front of him, the silver contrasting sharply with the tan skin of the woman. "Hey I found something!" he exclaimed.

"Really? What?"

"This weird plate thing on the shoulder. There're some words on it."

"What's it say?" Retsu asked, walking over.

"Mos...ca," the younger read off haltingly. "Model 124. What do ya think that means?"

"Hell if I know," the other boy replied, examining the adjacent robot. "This one's model 125," he observed. A flashing light in the corner of his vision drew his attention to the far side of the room, where another was propped up on the wall.

This one had a shaved head and pale skin, and Retsu could have sworn it looked somehow familiar. What he'd really looked over for, however, wasn't because of that. It was because of the flashing red light in it's right eye, while the other remained a blank brown.

"Um, Izumi-san?" he started, gaze never leaving the robot.

"Yeah?"

"Look over there," the teen said, motioning towards it.

"Oh, that's probably not good," the orange haired boy commented with a gulp. "Flashin' red lights are rarely good signs, ya know?"

"I think so," Retsu replied, starting when the machine began to move.

Slowly, it started to move away from the wall and towards them. Izumi stepped in front of the other boy, shielding him as he removed a few knives from his bag and slipped into a ready stance. "Stay behind me," he ordered calmly, already in battle mode.

The boy scanned the room, making sure that none of the other robots had started moving, before turning back to the one approaching them. He had just enough time to duck, pulling Retsu with him, before red flames erupted from its feet and it went soaring overhead, very nearly missing them.

"Reborn!" Retsu cried, searching the room for his tutor. The baby landed only inches away from him, making him jump. "Don't do that!"

"A boss should be more prepared," was the simple, unapologetic answer.

"Whatever," he dismissed it quickly, too preoccupied to argue and shocked with what he was about to ask. "Do you have any more of those weird bullets?"

"Oh, suddenly you want to fight?"

"No," the teen answered bluntly. "I just think I have a better chance of surviving with it."

"Doesn't matter either way, because I don't have any."

"...What?!"

"When Leon's in this state, he can't make anything," Reborn explained slowly, holding up the blob formerly known as Leon to emphasize his point. "You're on your own until he returns to normal."

"And when will that be?!" he exclaimed, rolling out of the way to avoid being stepped on. Izumi was trying to lead it away, but none of his weapons seemed to have any effect on the robot, and even if it was focusing on the younger boy, Retsu knew that it wouldn't have any problems if it stepped on him in the process.

"That depends on you and Leon." Cryptic much?

"What's that even supposed to mean?"

"Figure it out yourself."

Just then, one of Izumi's knives landed on the tile floor beside them with a loud clang. "Wah! Retsu-san Reborn-san, I'm so sorry!" he yelled, barely visible behind his opponent. "I was aiming at him, and it just-"

"It's fine," he called back, reaching for the weapon. "I think I needed this anyways."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I've got a plan, but I need your help!"

Izumi paused for a second, thinking it over, almost getting clocked in the head for his troubles by one of the robot's massive fists. That seemed to make the decision for him though, as the next chance he got, he sprinted around the machine, leaping over a leg that was threatening to trip him and landing gracefully beside Retsu.

"I'm all ears," he answered with a sunny smile.

_**~OS~**_

"I got to hand it to you, you fought well," Kurohana admitted, clutching her throbbing side. She was kneeling beside Daisuke, bruised, bloody, and scratched, but grinning triumphantly all the same. And she had good reason to be smiling so. After all, she'd won.

"Thanks," he replied. "That means a lot coming from you."

"Damn straight!"

The fight had been intense after Izumi had left. For a while, it had seemed as though Dai had the upper hand. But finally, with a well-placed slash to the leg, Kurohana had turned the tables on him. He now sported a long but shallow cut from his left shoulder to his right side, which was miraculously not bleeding very badly.

The building looked by far the worst out of the three of them though. Burn marks, crumbling walls and ceiling, along with both large and small holes pockmarking it all over left it looking like it was about to collapse any second. And that was just what one would see at first glance.

Still, no matter how anything may have turned out, it had been a good fight in both parties minds.

"I haven't had that much fun in a long time," the girl said, smile widening to show off sharp, pointed canines. "I love a good fight."

"It was a good fight," Dai agreed with decidedly less enthusiasm. Kurohana gave him a bemused look, and was probably about to yell at him for it when she stopped, mouth snapping shut. Footsteps echoed through the room. She gave her companion a quizzical look, only to raise her eyebrows in shock when she saw him pale considerably.

"What's up?" she asked cautiously.

"I didn't want it to come to this," he answered, more to himself than her. "Shit, what am I going to do?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Kurohana?" a voice pierced through the relative silence following her question, and she froze. That voice... "Is that you? Whatever could you be doing here?"

Slowly, almost fearfully, the girl turned. What she saw shocked her.

"What are you doing here?!" she cried out. "I-I almost killed you! You shouldn't even be able to walk!"

"It's good to see you too," a man stepped out of the shadows, right into the spotlight created by the hole in the ceiling. "My precious daughter."

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**This chapter was too serious for my tastes! This arc needs to finish up quickly so I can get back to writing happy stuff! ...Anyways, please review! ^^ Oh, and cookies to whoever can guess where Retsu recognizes the robot from!**


	31. Yamanaka Shigeru

**Hey guys! ^^ Sorry for the late updates lately, but it's that time of the year again; finals. *sigh* Gotta love to hate them. Anyways though, the poll! For those of you who haven't voted in it yet, you have to! I'm closing it after this arc, so you better hurry! ...And now responses. ^^**

**dotYui:**** I'm glad it made you laugh. ^^ And guilty as charged. Was it that obvious that I didn't want to write it? Too long and complicated, and besides, there's a bigger fight scene coming up soon, so... I feel that it's okay. **

**Rikulz:**** Actually, it was the guy who came to meet Dai in Ch.6. I think I named him John. Whatever, it doesn't really matter. I saw the picture, and it was so good. Even if it didn't turn out how you wanted it to. :p And good for you. ^^ I'm jealous cause I'm stuck with printer paper until I get a new sketchbook.**

**Reborn22:**** Yes, it is. And more Izumi this chapter!**

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Our Sky

Chapter 31: Yamanaka Shigeru

"My precious daughter."

The words seemed to hang in the air long after they were said, echoes bouncing off the destroyed walls. The silence that followed was stifling.

"W...wh," Kurohana finally started, stumbling over the words. Numbness filled her being, sapping her strength and ability to form sentences. "Who the hell do you think you are? Don't you dare call me that!" she finally managed. Despite the force that she had tried to put into the words, they came out small and weak sounding, and were soon lost in the deafening quiet.

"Oh," the man sounded bemused. "So it _is_ you. I was hoping I misheard, though I suppose I should have known that Yume would never talk like that."

"Sorry to disappoint you," she replied acidly. Even if her body still wasn't responding, at least her mouth had gotten back into some semblance of working order. That was good.

"I suppose I should be used to it," he sighed heavily. "You always do turn up at the worst of times."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" the girl spat.

Her father opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a resounding crash from below. Kurohana whipped around to face the probable source, the hole in the wall, just in time to see the flash of light that accompanied the explosion seconds later. A frantic looking Retsu sprinted through the doorway, Izumi hot on his heels, both barely avoiding the debris that had been dislodged by the explosion. It fell in a cloud of dust, sealing off the entrance.

"Safe!" Izumi proclaimed with a grin. His companion didn't appear to share his take on the situation.

"Why does everything in this building have to explode?" Retsu cried out in frustration. Izumi just shrugged unhelpfully.

"What..." a low voice from the center of the room drew their attention to Kurohana. Her teeth were gritted, and she seemed to be shaking, though in the half-light, it was kind of hard to tell.

"Kurohana?" the white haired boy started worriedly. "Are you alri-"

"What the hell do you two nimrods think you're playing at?" the girl thundered. Maybe it was just the two boys imaginations, but little sparks seemed to be flying from her eyes, aimed directly at them. They backed away slightly in spite of themselves, not noticing anything other than their enraged companion. "Where have you been?" she continued mercilessly. "For your sakes, this'd better be good."

"I don't know if ya'd believe us if we told ya," Izumi said sheepishly.

"Try me," she challenged.

"Did you just come from downstairs?"

Retsu turned to face the unfamiliar voice, just then realizing that there was another person in the room.

"Eh?" he blinked, confused, not noticing how Izumi stiffened at the sight of the man. "Who are you?"

The man looked to be in his mid-forties, with a rail-thin body and equally slim face. His expression was stiff and formal looking, narrow eyes peering at the boy curiously over the top of his glasses. Brown hair, similar in color to the girl sitting near him, was combed back over his head, and his white lab coat hung limply off his body.

"I should be asking you that, but I suppose I already know so it's not necessary," he mused cryptically.

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind," the man shrugged, brushing it off without a thought. "My name is Yamanaka Shigeru."

"Yamanaka?" Retsu repeated, instantly making the connection. He glanced back and forth between Kurohana and Shigeru, now seeing slight similarities like the delicate nose and high cheek bones, though in his opinion, they looked much nicer on the girl than her father. "Then you're her..."

"Father, yes," he answered, a hint of distaste in his words as his eyes flickered to Kurohana. "Though there are some things about this child that I dislike."

The girl growled at the comment, but it took the violet-eyed teen a minute to piece together what he'd said.

"...What do you mean?" he asked carefully.

"Nothing much," Shigeru said dismissively. "I just see Kurohana's existence as a bit unnecessary, if you know what I mean."

"No, I don't," Retsu replied icily, ignoring the startled look that the girl in question gave him. "I don't see any part of either Yume or Kurohana that is unnecessary. You're a parent, aren't you? How could you say something like that about your kid?"

"Kurohana is not my child," the man scoffed. "Only Yume holds that title. The other is simply a figment of her imagination."

"She's as much a person as you or I."

"I beg to differ, but we'll leave it at that because it is obvious that we will never agree," Shigeru sighed, rubbing his temples wearily. "Now, onto more important things: downstairs. Did you see what was down there?"

"Maybe," the teen replied petulantly, irritated at the sudden change of subject.

"Then am I correct in assuming that crash just now was one of my robots being destroyed?" the man deduced, drawing surprised expressions from both Kurohana and Dai, who had been silent up until this point.

"R-robots?" Dai repeated, flinching slightly at the glare the older sent him.

"It is of no concern to one who would lose to a child," Shigeru said coldly. "I had such high hopes for all of you, but they were dashed by your performance today. Losing to a group of teenagers with no prior battle experience, the four of you should be ashamed of yourselves. And you," he whirled and pointed to Izumi. The boy sat up a little straighter as if by instinct, swallowing to clear his suddenly dry throat. "Even going so far as to side with the very enemy we're trying to defeat? Have you forgotten our objective?"

"But Retsu-san's different," Izumi protested.

"Retsu's different," the imitation was high-pitched and nasally. "Oh please. One person won't make any sort of difference in the mafia. We're not trying to change the world, we're destroying the mafia piece by piece. Are you planning to just let anyone who you think might be 'different' go free every time you're supposed to assassinate them?"

"...Yes," the singer replied softly. Shigeru's look was one of disgust, while the other three's ranged between surprise and awe.

"So that's what you were after," Reborn said, coming out from behind Retsu's back. The boy jumped.

"Since when have you been here?"

"Typical of you not to notice," the infant snorted. "If I were an assassin, you'd already be dead."

"If you were my tutor, I'd already be dead," Retsu replied flatly. "Oh wait."

"Don't get smart with me," Reborn warned, an evil spark in the depths of his black eyes. "You know who'll win."

His student let out an irritated grumble, but was otherwise silent. The baby smirked before turning back to face Shigeru.

"So you're Reborn, huh?" the man asked. "I've always wanted to know what kind of person you were. After all, you were the trainer for the Tenth, and look at how well he turned out."

"Tsuna is Tsuna," Reborn said calmly, though Retsu could have sworn he heard a note of contempt in the words. "But enough small talk."

"Ah, I seem to have gotten off topic," Shigeru realized suddenly. "I forgot to ask how those two came back alive."

The boys glanced back and forth between each other and Reborn, as if asking for permission. The baby sighed wearily.

"Go ahead and tell him," he said with a small nod and another sigh as he muttered under his breath, "Stupid boys. Can't do anything by themselves."

"Okay," Retsu began slowly, uncomfortable with all the eyes on him. "Well, there was this room at the bottom of the stairs I fell down. There were a bunch of robots inside, only they didn't look like robots, they were like people. Izumi-san and I were looking around when one of them suddenly turned on and started attacking us. It mostly ignored me, because Izumi-san was distracting it. When it's back was turned, I noticed this long crack with wires inside. I guess it must've been broken or something. Anyways, I asked him to look at it, and he agreed that we could use that. After that, all we did was throw a knife into the crack and it stopped working. And then it exploded," he finished, finally taking a breath after his hurried explanation. "Well, I didn't really do much. It was Izumi-san who did most of the work."

"Eh, that's not true!" the other boy disagreed. "Ya saw the crack in the first place!"

"You would have seen it eventually."

"Maybe, but who knows how late that might've been?"

"Still..."

"Well, while this is all nice and wonderful, but I'd like to move on, if that's alright with you," Shigeru said, obviously tiring of the discussion. "You do realize that now that you've seen what's down there, I can't let you live right? Not that I was going to in the first place, but at least now I have a reason."

"Wait," Dai finally spoke, levering himself up onto his elbows with great effort.

_He looks really tired_, Retsu thought with a twinge of guilt.

"What?" the other man asked without even looking at the older brother.

"Let me-"

"I think not," Shigeru interrupted coldly. "I've been watching this entire time. Did you really think that I wouldn't notice you weren't aiming for them? We both know you could hit two kids running around in the smoke with your eyes closed, yet not one of your shots hit. I find that a bit strange, don't you? And the fact that your gun isn't loaded with anything other than tranquillizers is a bit troubling to me."

Dai, to his credit, remained emotionless save for a narrowing of his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," he finally answered.

"Of course you don't, Nezumi," was the clipped response.

Retsu's head was spinning. What was going on? His brother hadn't been aiming at them from the start? And how had he gotten tangled up in this from the first place? Nezumi? _Reborn's right_, the boy thought bitterly. _From the start, I didn't know anything. And I still don't. What's happening, Dai?_

"Well, as much as I enjoy all of your company, I'm a very busy man," Shigeru said. "I'm afraid that you're all going to have to disappear. You see, there was this terrible earthquake in the warehouse district. Some kids were playing in one of the buildings, and were buried by the rubble," here, he paused, a dark glint in his eyes. "It's tragic really, but there were no survivors."

The words sent chills up the four other people's spines, just as a loud rumbling from below alerted them to movement underground. A hole was blasted out of the floor, and through it rose one of the robots. Flames at it's feet propelled it further upwards, until it floated menacingly at ten feet above the ground.

Still trying to process what had just happened, Retsu and Izumi were practically sitting ducks. Sighting it's target, the machine shifted forward. The jets grew bigger and hotter, and it shot forward towards the stunned boys.

"G-get out of the damn way!" Kurohana cried, but it was too late. Frozen in shock, there was no way either of them could have gotten out of the way in time. It was going to hit them...!

...And that was when the impossible happened. One moment, the robot was hurtling at them, seemingly unstoppable. The next, a whole section of the wall seemed to be blown away, forced inward by some inhuman force. The flying debris collided with the machine at full force, pushing it off course and into the far wall. A gunshot went off, and a bullet was soon lodged in the almost imperceptible gap between the neck and torso.

A few sparks flew, but this particular robot shut down quietly, _without_ an explosion. Five heads whipped around, and as the dust began to settle, three forms could just be made out through it.

"Damn, that was my second to last bullet and I almost missed," a familiar, annoyed voice rang out in the silence, and a soft clicking noise of a gun being reloaded soon followed.

"At least you could do something," another answered. "I'm stuck here on a broken ankle."

"You're over-exaggerating. It's just a sprain."

"Is not!"

"Come on, let's play nice," the third and final person said, trying to appease the other two. "Besides, we've got work to do."

"...Fine," was the dubious agreement from the first.

"I guess you're right," Retsu could almost picture the pout on the second's face.

The dust started to clear, giving them a better view of the people. But Retsu already knew who they were.

"Hey guys, you're late," he informed them, feigning annoyance.

"Sorry," Jun, Kazuki, and Jing chorused in perfect unison. "Our bad."

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**Nezumi means rat, by the way. Please review! ^^**


	32. Rebuke

**I know, I know, it's about damn time I updated. Sorry for the lateness! I think I'll just skip to responses rather than boring you with a rant of some sort. **

**Rikulz:**** Is the chapter feeling tense a bad thing? It kind of felt that way to me too, but it was supposed to be like that. No, Shigeru is not like Mukuro. He's nowhere near cool enough. :p I'm glad you liked it. I think I've heard of that show. Maybe I'll check it out. And as for Retsu's weapon...you'll see. **

**dotYui:**** A rat huh? Me too. ^^ I totally needed to put in an epic entrance like that in somewhere in this story. Couldn't help myself. Are we going to party again after this update too? ^^**

**Reborn22:**** Alright, Izumi will play a more important part later. Thanks, and I hope you like this chapter too. ^^

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Our Sky

Chapter 32: Rebuke

"...Well, this certainly saves me the trouble of coming to look for you," Shigeru commented once the shock had worn off. The three newcomers turned to him with curious looks, just now noticing his presence there. He paid this no attention though, instead continuing on with what he'd been saying. "I can get rid of all seven of you right now. Oh, this is so much easier."

His tone didn't change from the usual disinterested monotone, not once reflecting the emotions that should have gone with his words.

"Um," Kazuki scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry, but do we know you?"

"No," was the curt response. There was a pause, most likely where they were expecting the man to give his name, but he remained silent.

"Okaaaay," Jing drawled. "This is awkward."

"Who are you? I did not notice you here before," Shigeru asked, confused.

"That's because I wasn't around," the other answered with a sunny smile. "I just got here now."

"I see," Kurohana's father sighed. "Well, it's not like it makes any difference. You're all going to die, and if you're going to fight against me then it's probably just easier to kill you here."

"Interesting way of looking at things you got there," Jing sweat-dropped, but he quickly dropped the act when he heard rumbling from below. "Get out of the way," he advised the two boys with him as he jumped back. Jun and Kazuki followed, and just in time too. Only seconds later, more of the Moscas from down below shot out of the ground.

And they kept coming, until the warehouse was almost completely filled with them. Several went to stand by Shigeru, but the vast majority migrated towards the people they identified as enemies. So basically, everyone else.

Izumi moved to stand with Kurohana, but when Retsu tried to follow, Reborn grabbed him by the ear and hauled him in a completely different direction. "And where do you think you're going?" the infant asked.

"With my friends to help!"

"What can you do there?"

"What can I do wherever you're taking me?"

"Find out his plans, for starters," Reborn said, finally dropping him. The boy sat up, rubbing his aching ear, only to find himself right in front of Shigeru. He moved back just as the first explosion rocked the already unstable building. He whirled, eyes wide, to find that the robots had begun their attack. To their credit, all of his friends were holding up surprisingly well considering their condition. Apparently, the man before him shared this thought.

"Hm, they're putting up more of a fight than I thought they would," Shigeru observed.

"Why," Retsu started, drawing the others attention back to him. "Why are you doing this?"

"...I want to rule the world," he held up a hand when Retsu opened his mouth to say something. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but listen to me. With the bullets I've created, the soul replace bullets, I could control the world's leaders. I could order for the bullets to be ground up and put in popular drinks and products, or given to people as a shot when they went to their doctors for check-ups. Wait a few years, and I'd have the entire world under my control.

"I'd be the king with no opposition, and no one would be able to speak out against me because they wouldn't have their own free will! Of course, to do that, I'd have to get rid of the annoying mafia families, who would get in my way if they ever found out, and we all know that a strong mafia family is more powerful than anything a government could put together. And the strongest of those families is the Vongola. So why not start there, right?"

"You're insane," Retsu had no idea where this sudden boldness had come from, but he wasn't exactly inclined to question it at the moment seeing as it was possible that this talking was the only thing keeping him alive. "Why would you even want to rule a world full of zombies? And besides, I can't really see your plan ever working with the organization you've set up."

"What on earth do you mean?"

"The way I see it, everyone I came here with is still alive and conscious." There was a loud crash from the right, and he winced. Kazuki had just been thrown into a wall, and he wasn't showing any signs of getting back up. Kurohana and Jun were guarding him though, each engaged in battle with their respective robots while still hovering over the sleeping boy protectively. "Well, they're all alive," he corrected himself. "Anyways, while my friends are still out there fighting, yours are knocked out in various parts of this district, unable to help you."

"And your point is?" Shigeru all but spat.

"What I'm saying is that even if you kill us today, which I don't plan on letting happen, and you somehow manage to actually succeed with your plan of destroying the Vongola, which you won't, do you really think you'll have won with just that?" the boy asked. "There are definitely people out there who are worlds stronger than us, and yet you lost here. So what are you going to do in the future?"

"I'll find new people to serve under me," the man answered coldly, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. "Obviously."

"I wonder about that," Retsu said. "You don't seem like the type of person who makes friends easily. And even if you do manage to assemble a stronger team, who I hope for your sake are more loyal than this one, someone else will still be there to stop you, be it mafia bosses or more kids like us. Face it; your goal is unreachable."

"Shut up!" Shigeru yelled, pointing towards the boy. One of the robots around him shot forward, landing a solid hit on Retsu's stomach that sent the boy flying backwards. He landed on the floor with a pained grunt, almost immediately beginning to cough up blood. His eyes widened in shock. "You talk big, but you have no way of backing yourself up! I _will_ fulfill my goal, and some annoying brats with a little power aren't going to be stopping me!"

There was a pause before Retsu began talking again in a low voice.

"Look, I'm not going to give you a speech on how I'm going to stop you from achieving what you want and save the world or something because honestly, that's stupid. I mean, I care about 'the world as we know it' as much as the next guy, but as for what I can do..." he shrugged, and his eyes hardened at his next words. "But I do care about my friends, however stupid that may sound to actually say. I want them to be safe, and I want them to _happy_ more than anything else. And if that means I have to defeat you in the process of getting there..."

Retsu stood, pushing himself off the ground while still keeping his gaze locked with the man's.

"...Then so be it," he murmured, taking up a fighting stance similar to Kazuki's. For a moment, Shigeru just stared at him in disbelief.

"Y-you're going to defeat _me_?" the man repeated. He threw his head back and began to laugh hysterically. "That's the best thing I've heard in ages! Kid, you don't stand a chance."

"I _am_ going to win," his young companion said, unfazed. "And then I'm going to bring everyone home and forget this ever happened."

"Isn't that what you came here for in the first place?" Reborn asked. Retsu regarded him curiously for a moment, tilting his head in thought.

"Yeah, I guess it is," the boy nodded, eyes softening. "You're not actually gonna try and stop me today, are you?"

"Who do you take me for?" his infant tutor snorted. "I don't stop people from going to their deaths. I send them to it."

Leon began to glow, a soft light that gradually grew stronger until it was almost blinding. It jumped out of Reborn's hands, shooting long tendrils of itself in all directions so that the blob was soon suspended just over Retsu's head. Then, Leon began to shake violently, and the light it emitted only brightened further. The boy had to shelter his eyes with a hand to continue watching. If it got any brighter, he'd go blind.

With a final flash of green light, the room began to darken again. There was a loud popping sound, and Retsu looked up again just in time to be hit in between the eyes by the items falling from above.

"Ah!" he fell on his butt, dazed, as another smaller, much lighter object bounced off the top of his head to the floor and rolled to Reborn's feet. The baby smirked.

"It's been a while," he said to himself as he picked up the silver bullet. Leon was returning to his hand and taking shape again even as he spoke. "A rebuke bullet...I was wondering when I'd see one of these again."

Retsu, for his part, was busy blinking the spots out of his eyes and inspecting the two new objects in his lap. Resting there were twin silver bracelets, each about two inches tall. Thick black XI's lined the outside, making a perfect ring at the center of the jewelry. Other than that, they were very simple, the XI's being the only decoration in sight. _What are these?_ he wondered briefly, taking a look at the inside. What he saw made him freeze.

_Happy 5th Birthday, Retsu_

_ -Your loving father_

It was the inscription that had been on one of his original bracelets! He recalled Reborn saying he'd get them back, but he hadn't think it would be like this. Still, it felt good knowing that they were with him, even in a different form. The boy cupped them in his hands and brought them up to his chest, just above his heart. He would later wonder at the gesture, but for now, it seemed like the right thing to do.

A loud shout brought him back to reality.

"What was that?" Shigeru yelled, rubbing at his stinging eyes.

"Retsu, are you ready?" Reborn asked, loading his gun with the new bullet.

"Huh? Ready for what?" the teen exclaimed, but it was too late. He was already staring down the barrel of the baby's gun, something that seemed to be happening increasingly often lately. And yet, for just that once, he didn't fight it. At the corner of his vision, he could just make out Shigeru clearing the last of the spots from his eyes, and the man was glaring at him murderously.

That was the last thing he saw before the gun fired. Numbness spread through his body as he fell, but that was where the transformation stopped. Retsu, who hadn't seen that this bullet was different than the others, was rightfully puzzled.

_What's going on? Aren't my clothes supposed to be ripping off right about now? This isn't normal, _he thought. His eyelids felt heavy, and they slowly fell shut. A picture began to form in his mind. It was his homeroom teacher sitting in the teachers lounge, grading papers.

"Akimura Retsu, 35," the man said with a sigh. "His grades are getting better, but not very fast. And he didn't come to school today. Probably playing hookie somewhere with those annoying friends of his."

_Old bastard, what gives him the right to talk like that, even if no one's listening. Come to think of it, why am _I_ listening?_

The scene faded out to be replaced with one of Amatsu walking through the school hallways alone. He looked kind of dejected, and Retsu felt a pang of guiltiness.

"I feel like Retsu's been hiding stuff from me lately," the boy mumbled. "We're best friends, right? So why do we never talk anymore?"

_He looks so lonely,_ the violet eyed teen thought sadly. _That's right, we left without telling him anything this morning. And after he helped us too. It's not like I can tell what's actually going on, but I could at least be a little more discreet about it._

This time, when the picture changed, he was greeted with the sight of his friends, still locked in battle with the robots.

"Why's he just lying there?" Kurohana yelled, slicing through one of the machines' chests with her naginata. "Does he even realize how bad this situation is?"

"You know he does," Jun reprimanded sharply, batting away a punch with his gun.

"We're all fighting for a purpose, and ya know that Retsu-san's right here with us for a reason," Izumi put in, stabbing the one he was facing right between the neck and chest.

"Yeah, _we_ know what we're fighting for," the girl spat, dodging a hit. "But does he?"

_Do I?_ Retsu wondered. _Is she right?_

"He does," Kazuki murmured adamantly, just then beginning to wake up. "I know he does, maybe even more than the rest of us. Definitely. We just have to trust him."

Jun and Izumi nodded in agreement, and the girl sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right, stupid blondie," she agreed grudgingly. "He'd better not lose."

_Guys..._

For the last time, the scene changed. Dai was lying right where he'd fallen, with Jing hovering near him and beating away any robots that dared come close.

"You worried?" the Chinese man asked with a raised eyebrow at the others serious expression.

"Of course I am," Dai answered softly. "He's my little brother, and he's never ceased to do stuff that will worry me, even back when he was a kid."

"Well don't be," Jing said, axe-kicking a nearby machine. "Your brother's much stronger than he looks."

"...Yeah, I know."

_Aren't they giving me too much credit there?_ Retsu thought. _I'm not strong or anything like that. _He looked down at his brother's sad face. _All I've ever done is worry him. Dai..._

"I'm sorry," he whispered out loud.

"Do you understand now?" the boy faintly heard Reborn ask from his side. "This is a rebuke bullet. Those are real time rebukes from those close to you. Are you going to make me say mine, or do you think you get it?"

"As if you'd only have one," Retsu muttered dryly. His friend's faces flashed through his mind, and he had to say, what the baby had said made sense. "Everyone...they're always saving me," he admitted, eyes falling shut again. "But now..."

_...It's my turn to save them._

A warm flame began to bloom on his forehead just as Shigeru finally regained his senses enough to order the Moscas behind him to fire.

"Blow them all to pieces!" the man commanded. "Starting with him!"

As one, mechanic arms were raised, fingers sliding back to reveal small guns. They fired, each producing beams of multi-colored flames from their fingers that were headed straight for the motionless boy. The beams collided just above him, resulting in an explosion and a monstrous cloud of smoke obscuring both him and Reborn.

"Well, is he dead-" Shigeru was cut off when a blur of silver and black sped out of the smoke, flying towards him in a curving arc. He barely dodged, and the blur, whatever it was, only managed to give him a shallow wound on his chest. Its trajectory was such that it returned towards the cloud after hitting him.

A pale hand shot out of the smoke to catch it. The force that this caused was enough to blow the cloud away backwards, revealing the figure hidden there.

Calm purple eyes stared him down, and he shivered a bit at the intense look they held. A gigantic orange flame burned on the boy's head, but it was clearer and brighter than any Shigeru had seen thus far. And he had fought against many people with a dying will flame on their forehead. Retsu's entire demeanor seemed to have shifted in only seconds from a normal boy to someone who was to be feared, and who knew it if the confident smirk on his face was anything to go by.

The weapon, or he should say weapons, that the boy held were unlike any the other had ever seen. They resembled chakrams, but at the same time, there were some modifications that definitely weren't typical, the most noticeable of which was probably the large black XI that ran through the hole in the center of the disc-like weapon. Though most of the two chakrams were black, a deadly looking silver edge ran around the entire circumference, somehow not cutting the person holding it but looking no less sharp for it.

"I believe you said something," Retsu began in a cool voice, the smirk still intact on his face as he calmly regarded his opponent. "About blowing me up?"

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**Longer than I expected, but I think I'm proud of that. ^^ Please review, it'll make me update faster!**


	33. One Hour

**Hello everybody! I made the update in just a week! School needs to end soon, or I'm going to start crying. Does anyone else's school not have air-conditioning? Cause mine doesn't, and it's hot as hell here. Anyways, thanks as always to my reviewers and readers!**

**dotYui:**** Happy Birthday! Here's my promised update. Sorry, not a lot of Jun these few chapters, but this is supposed to be Retsu's epic fight, you know? I'm glad you liked that part. ^^**

**Rikulz:**** Shigure isn't anywhere near as awesome as Mukuro, and I don't plan on letting him be. I just don't like writing him, and I want this arc to be over soon, so he's going to have to lose and go away so I can move on with the story. I thought chakrams would be a good weapon, and they're easy to write in, so it's all good in my mind. **

**NewGhostKing:**** I'm glad you like it. Thanks. **

**The rebornster:**** Good to hear that you think that. Here's your update. ^^**

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Our Sky

Chapter 33: One Hour

_Last Time:_

"_I believe you said something," Retsu began in a cool voice, the smirk still intact on his face as he calmly regarded his opponent. "About blowing me up?"_

_**~OS~**_

"Arcobaleno, what is this?" Shigeru asked, turning to Reborn with a sneer. "I pride myself on my extensive knowledge on dying will bullets, and this is definitely not the effects of one of them."

"Don't ask me," the infant shrugged. "You should be paying more attention to your opponent. Maybe if you ask nicely, he'll tell you."

He turned back just as Retsu launched one of his weapons at him again. This time, the man called on one of his robots to protect him. The machine stepped in front with a hand raised, as if trying to catch the spinning disc. It was no use though.

The chakram cut straight through the arm, severing it from the body and going on to leave a scratch on the chest. The boy caught the weapon as when it came back, glancing back and forth between it and the scratched robot.

"So just the blade isn't enough to break them," Retsu murmured to himself. "Well then, why don't we try this?"

Orange flames erupted from the blades, bathing both the chakrams and the boy holding them in a warm glow. Or at least, it would have been warm if one didn't know that those flaming discs were about to be thrown at them.

A yell from the far right momentarily drew both of their attention away from the battle. Kurohana's naginata had just been knocked away, and it had immediately reverted back into a silver staff. She hurried to recover it, ducking to the floor just as the machine she'd been fighting raised both fists together and prepared to bring them down on her head in a blow that would probably kill her, and if not, knock her unconscious to be killed later. She looked up, eyes wide with shock, as it prepared to strike.

Jun turned and fired his final bullet at the last moment straight through the robot's eye. It passed cleanly through, and the machine fell back, broken. There was no time for celebration, however, as the one he had previously been fighting took the opportunity to slam it's arm into his back. The teenager crumpled to the ground with a cry of pain and his attacker, wasting no time, raised one of it's massive feet to stamp on his chest.

Kazuki yelled for him to get out of the way, unable to come to his friend's aid because he was trapped between his own opponent and the wall. Izumi was in a similar position, though in a burst of adrenaline he managed to dispatch the robot before him and rush forward. Three more came to block his path, and he could only look on helplessly as the events before him unfolded.

Jing was gritting his teeth as he watched, but couldn't leave Dai for fear of the other being stepped on, so he was forced to remain where he was. Kurohana hadn't yet recovered from the shock of almost dying. With all of his friend's occupied, it would seem that Jun was doomed.

...Not.

A brilliant flaming arc shot through the warehouse, burning any machine within a ten-foot radius. And that was a lot of them, considering the small size of the building and how tightly they were packed in. Jun could feel the heat coming off the flames as it raced by him, cleaving the machine in front completely in half, but they weren't burning hot. More of a warm, comfortable feeling radiated from them, promising safety and protection.

The weapon finished it's destructive path through the swathes of robots when it returned to Retsu's outstretched hand, leaving dozens of ruined ones in it's wake. Despite that, however, not a single one of the people in the warehouse were harmed. The boy turned to Jing with a commanding note in his gaze, seemingly not affected that all eyes were on him in shock.

"Jing-san, please take everyone with you and leave the area," Retsu said calmly. It was an order veiled in polite words, and the man realized this. He did not, however, mention that.

"Alright," Jing shrugged, picking Dai up off the ground and slinging the others arm over his shoulder. He then turned to the room's younger occupants. "C'mon guys, you heard the man. Let's move out."

"But-" Izumi started, but Retsu silenced him with a shake of his head.

"Go," the white haired boy said softly. "It's not safe here."

"Retsu," Kazuki said worriedly. The other sighed.

"One hour," he lifted one finger. "That's all I'm asking for, and all I gave to any of you. Remember our deal?" At the downcast faces of his friends, his expression softened considerably. "Just trust me on this one. Please?"

"...One hour," a soft voice conceded from behind Jun. Kurohana stepped out into the open, but there was something different about her. With his enhanced awareness, Retsu had no trouble noticing the difference and pinpointing the reason.

"Thank you Yume," he responded with a small bow of his head.

Silver eyes met his, all but the faintest traces of sleep gone from her gaze. The girl nodded once, then turned towards where Jing was waiting at the exit and walked away without a backwards glance. Reluctantly, Kazuki, Jun, and Izumi headed after her, the blonde leaning heavily on Izumi's shoulder.

The sound of movement from behind suddenly caught Retsu's attention, and he whirled to find a robot hurtling at him. Eyes narrowing, he barely registered the shocked cry from one of his friends, too focused on the matter at hand. In an almost imperceptible motion, the boy brought up one of his flaming weapons, then sliced it down. With a quiet hiss, a long blade of fire detached itself and went flying through the air, slicing the machine right in half. The two pieces continued on their way, the velocity too great to stop, but they separated as they went. They landed with a loud crash on opposite sides of him. He didn't even flinch.

"I-is that really Retsu-san?" Izumi asked, stunned.

"I think so," Jun replied warily. "But something's definitely wrong here."

"Not wrong," Yume corrected dreamily, beckoning them both forward and out of the building. "Just different. I think this Retsu is very reliable."

"I second that!" Kazuki agreed with a grin. "And I also second the idea of getting out of here before one of them ends up killing us."

"Here, here," Jing chimed in playfully, already starting away in the direction they had come. "Come along children, let us go."

"Who are you calling a child?" Jun snapped, following anyways. The two dissolved into light bickering, and the rest of their group laughed. Yume joined in, but her thoughts were still firmly glued to the battle going on back at the warehouse.

_Good luck._

_**~OS~**_

"That was a bit of an unfair attack," Retsu commented once all of his friends were safely out of the building. He didn't know why, but all of his thoughts felt clear and organized, completely the opposite of normal. And the weirdest part of it all was that he didn't feel that there was anything particularly odd about the transformation. He knew that he usually would be freaking out in this situation, but a calming presence had settled over his thoughts, smoothing them out and making everything seem sharper and more defined.

The boy could sense all the little sounds in the crumbling building, from the faint beeping that the Moscas gave off at times to the small rocks falling from the ceiling. He could feel Shigeru's anxiety and confusion, and beneath it all, his fear. But at the same time, he knew the man was far from done fighting, and that he still had few surprises left up his sleeve.

"So what next?" he asked, feigning indifference even as his mind tried to work out what was going on in the others. "Is another one going to come at me from undergr-"

Retsu stopped in shock as a hand shot out of the floorboards, grabbing hold of his ankle in an iron grip. _I hate irony,_ was his only thought before he felt himself being thrown towards one of the opposite walls.

He flipped in midair, effortlessly executing a move he'd seen Kurohana do back in their fight at the dojo. It felt like forever since then, yet it hadn't even been a full month. The boy's shoes skidded to a halt on the wooden surface far from his estimated landing point, but he soon found himself completely surrounded by the robots that remained standing on that side of the room. Retsu smirked.

"You're going to have to do better than that," he said, raising one of the chakrams and preparing to strike. Just as it was about to leave his hand however, he froze, overwhelmed by the dark aura suddenly pulsing from the far side of the building. Whipping around to face it, the teen was met with the sight of a purple flame billowing from Shigeru's hand, seemingly originating from a ring on his hand. In his other hand, he held a small purple box with a ring-sized hole in the top. "What's th-"

"Retsu, get down," Reborn advised, taking his own advice and moving behind one of the now-stationary robots. "You won't want to be out in the open for this. Just in case."

"Yeah," the boy nodded, kneeling in order to take cover behind another of the machines. There was a moment of tense silence before Shigeru spoke up in an almost crooning voice that sent chills up Retsu's spine.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," the man said menacingly.

"I think he's finally cracked," Reborn commented softly.

"Finally?" his student asked, calculating gaze still glued to his opponent. "You saying that he wasn't crazy before? You have to be pretty twisted to come up with a plan like his."

"It's not such an unrealistic dream when you think about it," the infant pointed out.

"That's what scares me."

He stopped when Shigeru, apparently deciding that they wouldn't be coming out, balled his hand into a fist and raised the box to it. "If you won't come to me, I'll come to _you," _he said, inserting the flame-clad ring into the box. For a minute, nothing happened. Then, the man removed the ring, and all hell broke loose.

A purple column of flame shot towards the ceiling, twisting and spiraling at crazy angles as it went. Retsu was so fixated on it that when it suddenly stopped and disappeared without a trace, he was still following the path up.

"Behind you," he vaguely heard Reborn warn, but screaming instincts already had him spinning to find the danger. What he saw stopped him dead.

Looming behind the boy was a robot, but it was nothing like the others. This one didn't look like a human, with a pitch black, stocky body, two gleaming red eyes, and purple flames holding the various part of it together. The parts weren't connected by anything other than those. Fire sprouted from the joints on the shoulders, elbows, knees, and pretty much anywhere where joints on a human would be located. The machine was humanoid in shape except for one exception. Or rather, several exceptions: it had four extra arms, giving it a total of six

Currently, one of those arms was pointed at him. He had just enough time to realize this before the fist detached from the body and shot forward, propelled by the flames at its back. It connected solidly with Retsu's chest, and he gave out a choked-sounding gasp as he flew back into another robot. The impact knocked the breath out of him, and he had to lean heavily against the machine in order to stay standing. The boy looked up, dazed, at the sound of a single clanking footstep, then another, and a third more as it drew closer.

"Pay more attention," Reborn scolded, hopping up onto his charge's shoulder. "You can't be distracted by appearance. The people you'll fight in the future may be even stranger looking than that thing."

Retsu said nothing, only nodding once to show that he had heard. He brought up his weapons in a ready position, eyes fixed on his approaching opponent. When he deemed it close enough, he threw one. The flaming disc cartwheeled through the air, spinning so fast that soon, it was nothing more than an orange blur.

The chakram tore straight through the robot's outstretched arm, severing the hand and part of the arm. The metal fell to the ground with a clunk. He was glad it hadn't hit any flame, as he wasn't sure what would happen if the two collided. Why were they colored differently again? He had a lot of questions about this for his tutor, but they would have to wait until later.

The teenager deftly caught the weapon as it returned, apparently already very comfortable with this fighting style. He'd expected the robot to at least halt a little, so he was visibly surprised when it continued on as if nothing had happened. Bringing up the other chakram, he quickly sliced down, sending a blade of fire at it.

The machine brought up an arm and simply batted the flames away. Retsu's eyes widened in surprise, and he was too startled by what had just happened that he didn't notice the hand flying at him until it clamped down on his neck, pushing him to the floor. He scrabbled at it with one hand, dropping a weapon in order to do so, but it was no use. The grip was too tight.

A thin cord of purple still connected the hand and the rest of the body, and the boy felt himself being slowly lifted to his feet by the throat as they joined together again. Another choking sound escaped his lips, and this was where his tutor decided to intervene.

"What are you doing?" Reborn asked calmly. "You can do better than this, can't you?"

Violet eyes flickered to look at him for a second. Their gazes met, and Retsu found himself nodding in silent agreement. He turned back to the robot, darkness beginning to creep into the edges of his vision. Okay, great, so he'd agreed with Reborn.

Now what?


	34. The Vendice

**I hate exams. That's really all I have to say today. :p Also, this chapter was hell to write. I still don't really like, but it's the best I could think up. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, as always. Love you all! ^^**

**dotYui: Good to hear. ^^ You didn't fail with it! I had to look up how it was used to. And I don't know if I have it right either. :p I'm glad that you like HDW Retsu. He's fun to write, and I've been waiting forever to get him up to this point.**

**Reborn22: Of course he's going to be okay! He's the main character! Besides, even if I ever made him die, it would never be a horrible person like Shigeru. -.- Oh yeah, you sure showed me. ^^

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Our Sky

Chapter 34: The Vendice

Retsu was at a loss for what to do. The insistent grip on his neck was a constant reminder that he was losing air by the second, and it was putting a lot of pressure on him. His biggest problem would probably be the robot, not Shigeru himself. While the man would probably be a difficult opponent to his normal self, as Retsu was, he would pose next to no threat, especially in comparison with the robot. The bigger problem, then, was how to defeat that. It could deflect flames, was incredibly fast, and cutting off its arms wouldn't really do anything because even if he got rid of one or two, there were six (five now) in total, and that was definitely bad.

He'd deal with that problem when he came to it. What was most important was escaping its grip right now. But how? Spying his fallen weapon on the ground, a plan began to form in the teen's mind. He tightened his grip on the remaining chakram and brought it down on the machine's arm. The attack was unexpected, and the force great enough that the robot lurched forward some, unwittingly lowering Retsu a few inches.

With the tips of his toes, the young boss managed to lever his weapon off the ground just enough to catch it with his foot. In a surprising display of flexibility considering his position, the boy swung his foot upwards to head-height. The chakram moved with it, slicing a deep gash in his captor's chest. Sparks flew, and Retsu winced when they landed on his arms and face. However, the move had been enough to distract Shigeru, who was obviously controlling the machine with his mind, and as his concentration wavered, so too did its grip.

The hand loosened, and with some extra prying from the teen it opened completely, dropping him. Retsu immediately jumped back, temporarily out of harm's way, massaging his sore throat.

"Don't get too comfortable," Reborn advised.

"I know," replied his student, voice scratchy. "By the way, thanks for all your help with that. Couldn't have done it without you."

"The bird will push its young out of the nest to teach them to fly," the infant said philosophically.

"And the mafia throw their bosses-in-training at giant killer robots to teach them how to die," Retsu shot back, but there was amusement in his tone.

"Did you die?"

"Guess not."

"Then shut up and fight," he ordered. A large shadow had fallen over them, blocking the light filtering in through the hole in the ceiling. The boy took notice of this just in time to jump out of the way. A large black fist slammed down onto the floor where he had been previously, breaking straight through the boards.

"Strong," Retsu whistled in appreciation, landing on the shoulders of one of the now stationary Moscas. His gaze flitted to the long scratch running down the black robot's chest. "But not invincible."

He readied his weapons, his next move already half formed in his mind. It was risky, but not so much so that it would get him killed...he hoped.

With only a flick of his wrist, one of the chakrams was airborne, racing towards his opponent at high speed. Flames played around the edges, and the smell of burning metal soon filled the air when it collided with the machine. The disc wedged itself within the gash that had been created there earlier, coming to a sharp halt. The orange fire flickered weakly a few times, but it was ignored by both Shigeru and the robot. They were more focused on how their teenage adversary had just fazed out of sight.

Retsu, propelled the flames that were now shooting out of his remaining chakram, materialized just beside it. He slammed the weapon into where the neck would be on a human, slicing cleanly through the thin layer of metal there. Purple flames gushed out, forcing him to jump back or risk getting severely burned. As it was, his fingers had already suffered some damage from being so close, and were raw and painful. He'd need to bandage them soon, but that wasn't exactly the first thought on his mind. In fact, despite the injuries, he was smirking as if something he'd suspected had just been confirmed.

Shigeru hated that smirk. It was condescending, mocking him and his dream with its clarity and confidence. Desperate to wipe the look off the boy's face, he had the robot launch two of its hands at his opponent. The teen didn't even bat an eye, moving his head the slightest bit to avoid one and cleanly cutting through the other. He caught the one he'd avoided as it passed, fist closing around it as his own flames encompassed the appendage. Within a moment's time, it was nothing more than a crumpled, blackened piece of useless metal.

"Three down," Retsu said. "We're probably about even now. Too late though."

"What are you-" he was cut off when the other, still smirking, pointed at the black machine.

"I'd duck if I were you."

The head and remaining hands shot off the robot as if they'd been forced out, spiraling and dipping through the air drunkenly. However, it was orange flames, not violet, that were propelling these. Indeed, not a single purple flame could be made out anywhere in the machine. Copper fire now spilled from where it had once been, freezing the robot where it stood. And nothing Shigeru did could make it move again.

"This thing's gonna blow in a few minutes," the boy informed him, sounding almost bored. "I'd advise leaving right about now."

"How did..." the man couldn't even finish, still in shock over what had just happened. "This isn't possible."

"Take a look at your machine's chest," Reborn stepped in. "Retsu simply replaced your flames with his own."

"But-"

"You seem to forget," the infant continued, the brim of his hat falling to cover his eyes. "The Sky is within them all, so the Sky can also use, or control in this case, other boxes. Or did you not learn this when you were being a reckless fool and playing with things that you don't understand?"

"I don't...I can't...no," Shigeru's denials trickled into that one, almost imperceptible word.

"This is enough," Retsu, not noticing the change, tried to make him listen. "I don't know why you would do this, but you can come back with us. I'm sure something can be-"

"Stop," Reborn commanded. "He can't hear you. He's too far gone."

"What do you mea-" The boy stopped when he saw the light glinting off the blade in his opponent's hands. The blade that was coming straight for him.

The attack was easy to dodge, especially in his current state. He only had to step out of the way and the other went hurtling past. Shigeru, to his credit, turned quickly and charged again, but this time Retsu was ready. He caught the man's wrist and twisted, forcing him to let go. The knife fell to the floor with a very audible clink.

"Stop it!" Retsu ordered harshly without loosening his grip. "You're not thinking straight!"

"I can't give up now," the older male muttered. "Not until I have revenge. Not until I see her again. Miyuki..." He stopped, punching at his captor with his free hand. The teenager caught it, utterly confused.

"Who is Miyuki-"

"Don't say her name!" Shigeru cried. "You don't have the right. All of you...all of them...you killed her!"

"I don't-"

With a desperate cry, the man launched forward. The attempt, however, was futile as Retsu only side-stepped it. He chopped down on the others neck with a hand, knocking him unconscious.

_What was _that_? _he wondered, but Reborn's words quickly brought him back to reality.

"Questions later," the baby said. "The robot."

"I know," his student answered through gritted teeth.

Reborn was right; he could think about the rest later. Right now, escaping the explosion that was about to go off was infinitely more important. Slinging Shigeru over his shoulder and sliding his new-found weapons down his arm to rest at the crook of his elbow, the teen sprinted for the exit that had been cleared by Jing earlier. He hadn't realized just how much time had been spent with that episode until he heard the boom and felt the warm air pushing at his back only seconds later. He jumped the last few feet, sliding onto the pavement outside just in time to escape the full brunt of the blast.

At last, the building finally gave in to the urge to collapse, crumbling in on itself with a loud rumbling noise. Retsu leaned back against the wall of a building beside it, letting the man slide to the ground. Looking around worriedly, his wild heartbeat only calmed when he confirmed that the person standing beside him was indeed his tutor.

"Never again," the boy breathed out a sigh of relief. The flame on his head, once so strong, died down to nothing, and he returned to his normal self. "That was way too close."

"But you didn't die," Reborn reminded him. A small, tired smile appeared on Retsu's mouth.

"No, guess not."

The boy tried to move, but a sudden jolt of intense, searing pain almost sent him to his knees at the movement.

"What-!" It even hurt to talk.

"Side effects," the other dismissed it just like that. "You'll be fine in a couple days."

"Retsu!" He probably would have blacked out then and there if it hadn't been for Kazuki calling him at that exact moment. Retsu looked up to find his friends rushing towards him, Yume and Jun in the lead. Dai was being helped by Izumi of all people while Kazuki hobbled along beside. Jun, being the sprinter, reached him first with an almost frantic look.

"What happened to you?" the black haired boy asked worriedly the minute he was within hearing distance.

"What are you all doing here?" Retsu ignored the question, instead asking one of his own. "I thought I asked you to leave the area."

"We did," Jing answered. "Don't look at me like that, I'm telling the truth. Your friends insisted on coming back when we heard the explosion, and its a good thing we did too."

"And why is that?" Retsu questioned, sliding to the ground at the base of the building he'd been leaning on.

"Because otherwise you would have been left alone with them," the man pointed to the left, and all eyes moved there. Standing at the other side of the street and swiftly approaching were three men, dressed completely in black. White bandages completely covered their faces, leaving one to wonder how they could see where they were going. The mist that surrounded them seemed to cling to them, moving with the men as they approached.

Reborn's eyes narrowed. "The Vendice. The jailers to the most impenetrable prison the mafia has ever had: The Vendicare Prison."

The two words hung in the silence that permeated the air as they approached, no one even daring to breathe. Two stopped a little ways away while the last continued on until he was standing in front of Shigeru.

"This is the leader?" he asked in a voice completely devoid of all emotion. Not quite knowing what to do, Retsu remained silent. His tutor nodded once in affirmation. A chain shot out of the man's sleeve without warning, the collar at the end snapping shut around Shigeru's neck. He flinched, but did not wake up. The group, in shock, did nothing until the other two began to approach Izumi and Dai, who were sitting together against the building across from Retsu.

"They were with him?" Again, the leader spoke in his monotonous voice. Reborn did nothing, and it was this that snapped the young boss out of the trance he'd been in up until this point.

"Stop!" he cried, launching himself across the street to stand protectively in front of them. His limbs protested every movement, but he ignored the pain. "You can't take them," the boy said, his tone a bit more composed. He was shaking like a leaf, and he knew it, but tried not to let the fear show on his face. There was something about these men that scared the hell out of him, made him not want to move when they were near. But he couldn't just sit by and watch Dai, his brother, and Izumi, who'd helped them in their fight, get taken away to who knows where. Glancing at his tutor in a silent plea for help, he saw the baby shake his head almost imperceptibly, as if trying to tell him something. And then it hit him: without a good reason, he'd never be able to convince these fearsome people to leave.

"They are enemies to the mafia," the same man answered.

"No they're not," Retsu answered, completely making up what he was about to say and hoping they wouldn't call his bluff. "They are part of my family. I sent them in there to spy on the 6 Zodiac's movements and find out what they were planning."

Silence reigned for a good five minutes. Not even the wind was blowing, and the tension rose by the second until it was almost unbearable. But Retsu held his ground, not moving an inch despite the pain that swamped him. His trembling had stopped only to be replaced with numbness.

Finally, "Very well," the Vendice's words cut through the quiet like a knife. "We have already collected the others involved, and will take our leave."

And that was it. With just those words, the men turned and walked away, both the mist and terrifying feeling leaving with them. The boy collapsed to the ground with a sigh of relief, throwing his friends a tired smile.

"It's finally over," he said, gaze moving to Yume. Her eyes were downcast, hand gripping her other arm so tightly that the knuckles were turning white. But she didn't say anything, and he was about to reach out to her when a particularly harsh spasm racked his frame, sending pain shooting in all directions. Restu fell forward on his stomach, a choked sound escaping his lips. Darkness swallowed him, but this time he just let it take over, welcoming the peace it brought.

_We did it_, was his final disbelieving thought. _We really did it, and came back alive too. ...Unbelievable.

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**There's some explaining that needs to be done next chapter! Hopefully it'll make Shigeru look a little less cliched and two-dimensional. -.-**


	35. Moving On

**Disclaimer: Almost forgot this. :p Don't own KHR and never will. Happy?**

**Hello! Well, this update was up quick. You proud of me? ^^ Anyways, I'm now out of school! *cheers* But my computer is also having problems, so I have to share with my sister. *boos* It should all work out fine though. Anybody else watching the World Cup lately? Lots of fun. :) Moving on though...reviews!**

**dJhAmystery: Sorry, that was much later than usual. But me and that chapter weren't really getting along. :p This one was faster though. ^^ Next chapter will be the start of the new arc.**

**Reborn22: And I couldn't be happier that it did. Now we can move on with our lives. Thanks. ^^**

**dotYui: You have no idea how happy I am. Miyuki becomes important later, but you're kind of close on it. I don't know if the Vendice would listen I just wanted to save Dai and Izumi. Besides, he is a candidate for Vongola 11th, right? So maybe they would... Anyways, thanks! :D**

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Our Sky

Chapter 35: Moving On

"Why is that woman just standing in my parking space?" Akimura Mayumi grumbled, fingers drumming out a rhythm on the car's steering wheel in irritation. The person sitting beside her in the passenger seat, a man in his early forties with slightly graying black hair, sighed.

"She's on her cell phone too," he pointed out.

"This is a pretty recognizable car, right?" his companion ranted, gesturing around her to indicate their medium-sized dark blue car. "I mean, I don't care if she's on her damn cell phone, she should at least see it!"

"I think you should run her over," the man put in wryly. "It'd be funny. Besides, we need to be getting back to that meeting soon, and I don't think they lengthen lunch breaks because of the stupidity of others."

Mayumi seemed to be seriously weighing her options when the offending woman finally deigned to notice them. She shot them a dirty look before walking off. "Did you see that? She just glared at us!"

"Take a look at that," the other pointed out the window at the same person. "Now she's standing in the middle of the crosswalk."

"Know what Shou, I don't even care anymore," Retsu's mother said, parking the car a little more harshly than was absolutely necessary. "She wants to get run over, good for her."

Shou was about to respond when Mayumi's phone went off. Still annoyed, she grabbed it from her purse and punched the answer button on her touch screen. "Hello?" There was a bit of murmuring from the side, and all the color drained out of the woman's face. "W-what? Why?"

More murmuring. The man was watching the scene worriedly, unsure of what was going on.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Pause. "Alright, alright, I'll be there as soon as I can. Yes, thank you. Bye."

She slumped back in her seat without even bothering to end the call on her end, suddenly looking very tired.

"What happened?" Shou asked carefully. His words seemed to break her out of whatever stupor she'd fallen into, as the next moment the car was roaring to life and backing out of the space. "Mayumi, the meeting!"

"Cancel it," she said flatly. "Th-they're in the hospital."

"Who?"

"...My sons."

_**~OS~**_

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The steady sound was the first thing Retsu heard as he slowly woke up, gradually leaving the world of dreams for reality. The blackness pulled at his consciousness, inviting him to stay where he was, but that insistent beeping just wouldn't stop. _What is it?_ he wondered groggily. _It's really...annoying._

"I think he's waking up!" he heard an exclamation from his right. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't place who it was at the moment.

"Well if he wasn't before, he is now," another person hissed, followed by a smacking sound.

"Guys..." a quieter voice interrupted. "He opened his eyes."

Retsu blinked sleepily, trying to clear the foggy feeling from his mind. Four faces hovered near his. They were familiar, but from where?

"Um...Retsu-san?" the fourth and final person started, orange hair flopping over his eyes messily. _The bandana's gone,_ the boy realized absently before tuning back into the words being said. "How do ya feel?"

"Like I just got run over by a truck," his voice sounded kind of scratchy even to him. As his thoughts began to reassemble themselves, he finally remembered who they were. Jun, Kazuki, Izumi, and Yume were all in the room with him. It smelled like a hospital, and it certainly looked like one. The sheets on his bed were plain white, just like the tiles on the floor. The walls were painted a light shade of blue, and sunlight streamed in from the window on the other side of his bed. "Where are we?"

"Namimori Hospital," a squeaky voice from behind informed him. The boy turned slowly, remembering what had happened last time he moved, but there was no pain.

"Hey Reborn," he greeted tiredly, not even bothering to ask why the other was wearing a doctor's lab coat and stethoscope. He probably didn't want to know. "How long have I been out?"

"A little over a day," Yume supplied the answer this time.

"What happened after I passed out?" He was a little hesitant to ask, but he had to know.

"We called for help," Jun stated. "The ambulances took us here, and the police are probably still over at the warehouse district trying to piece together what happened." Here, he grinned wickedly. "Ten bucks says they'll never figure it out."

"Why?" Kazuki asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Well, would you believe what happened if you were a policeman?"

"Yes."

"You're a moron," the other sighed, rubbing his temples.

A thought struck Retsu just then. "Dai!" he exclaimed, startling everyone in the room except Reborn, who just sat by and watched. "Where's Daisuke?"

"Did someone say my name?"

A head poked out from around the door, curious hazel eyes searching the room until they landed on Retsu.

"Retsu, you're awake!" Dai cried, running over. Jing followed behind at a much more sedate pace, holding his pipe from the first time they'd met in one hand.

"Welcome back to the world of the living," the Chinese man greeted with a wry smile, twirling the pipe. His companion from before shot him a dark look.

"Don't even joke like that!" he snapped. The other raised his hands in the sign for surrender, grin never disappearing. "You had me so worried!" Dai wailed, turning back to his brother, who he had trapped in a bear hug.

"_Me_?" Retsu's voice was muffled but indignant. "_I _was the one worrying about _you_!"

"I was more though!"

"Were not!"

"Was too!"

"Were not!"

"Uh...should we leave?" Jun murmured to his friends. They shrugged, not quite knowing what to do either. A voice from outside distracted them all though. It was female, and she sounded angry. Dai and Retsu, who had stopped their argument the second they heard, gulped.

"Oh boy," the older sighed.

Retsu nodded. "Mom's back."

_**~OS~**_

At first, their mom had been really worried. Of course, once she saw that neither was seriously wounded, that worry had quickly changed to anger. And when Mayumi was angry, she was _scary_. It had taken a lot of yelling and an explanation from them ("Mom, I swear, we were chasing that cat into the warehouse when this, like, arsonist gang or something showed up and bombed the place!") before she finally calmed down.

A call had come for her a few minutes ago from work, probably asking when they could reschedule the meeting, and Retsu finally had a chance to move around. His friends had left once Mayumi had shown up, telling him that they would be in the lobby for a while if he still wanted to talk after she finished. The boy hesitantly stepped off the bed and, upon learning that his joints _didn't _still feel like they were on fire, stretched a bit. Once this was done, he headed out, on his way to the lobby to see the others.

In one of the rooms he passed, some voices caught his attention. It sounded like...Daisuke? Not wanting to interrupt, and ignoring that part of his mind telling him that eavesdropping was wrong, he leaned up against the slightly open door in time to catch the second half of his brother's explanation.

"I met him when I was studying in America." It struck Retsu that the other was probably talking about Shigeru, and this only made him listen more closely. Peeking slightly around, he noticed that Dai wasn't alone. He was seated at the wooden table at the center of the room while Reborn stood on the far end of it. Jing made his presence known as well when he walked over and set a mug of coffee down beside the other man. "He was one of my science professors. One day, I saw him in the school's lab. He was working on one of the robots you saw. He noticed that I was looking, and sent one of the finished ones after me.

"Obviously, I couldn't outrun it. I was caught and brought back to the lab, where he actually explained to me what he was doing. I didn't believe him at first, but he showed me some of those Dying Will Flames. Then, he told me that I had a strong flame, and that I should join him. I-I don't know what you guys would have done, but I'm not a super brave person, and your brain can only think so well when you're facing a crazy guy with giant robots at his disposal."

"So because he threatened your life, you attacked your brother?" Reborn wasn't one for sugar-coating his words. The man flinched slightly at the blunt statement, but shook his head all the same.

"No. He threatened theirs," the words were so soft that Retsu had to struggle to hear them. "And how do you choose between your little brother's life and your mom's? You can't. So I tried to think up a plan to deal with it, but it didn't work, and..." he trailed off, growling in frustration.

Neither Jing nor Reborn said anything, both sensing that he wasn't quite done yet.

"I don't think it helps, but I wasn't aiming to seriously hurt him," Dai added miserably. "The gun only had tranquilizers in it, and... Ah, who am I kidding!" he cried, burying his head in his arms. "I shot at my own brother! There _are _no ways to even start to justify it! He probably hates me!"

There was silence in the room. Jing removed the pipe from his mouth, exhaling a puff of smoke. "Y'know, I think you're being too hard on yourself," the Chinese man said casually, leaning back on the table. "It's not like you were aiming to kill the little guy."

"But-" the other was cut off when the pipe was shoved in his face.

"I find this usually helps when I'm confused."

Dai only stared at it for a moment before sighing and pushing it to the side with one hand. "Thanks, but I don't smoke."

"Do you drink?"

"N-no."

"How do you _live_?" Jing seemed genuinely shocked. "You're missing out on so much!"

"So I've been told," he laughed a little. "But I made up my mind about that a long time ago, and am not about to go changing it now."

"Oh, so you're one of _those _types of people," the man spoke as if being one of _those_ types of people was a grave sin.

"I-I guess you could say that."

Reborn, who had been quiet up until that point, finally chose then to speak up. "Retsu probably doesn't hate you," the baby said, eyes fixed on the door. "He doesn't hate a lot of people. A horrible quality for a mafia boss, but then again Tsuna was like that too I guess."

Retreating footsteps sounded in the hallway, and Dai shot over the door like a bullet. He looked out just in time to catch a glimpse of white hair before it disappeared around the corner. He stood in the doorway for a moment, gaze fixed on that spot, before returning to his seat with a sigh. He gave the other two a small, tired smile that said a million words. But he only gave voice to a few.

"Well, a guy can hope."

_**~OS~**_

Retsu's head was swimming. He'd fled after hearing his tutor's words, though why he wasn't sure. Maybe because he'd felt eyes on him, even through the door, and knew that Reborn had figured out he was listening. That, or he just didn't want to hear anymore. His mind was a mess, but the one thing that stood out to him most was something he'd just overheard: Dai hadn't been trying to kill him out of his own free will.

This was the clearest thing, and it filled him with reassurance. He didn't know how this incident would effect them, but it was good to know that at least his brother didn't hate him.

A shock of orange hair caught his eye, and he turned to see Izumi standing alone at the main entrance to the hospital. Retsu hadn't realized he'd gotten this far away from his room already, but he waved anyway. The other boy didn't see it.

"Hey, Izumi!" he called when waving didn't work. The singer jumped.

"R-Retsu-san?"

"What's up?"

"Just getting ready to leave," the boy answered with a smile.

"Leave? Already?"

"Well yeah. I'm not good at stayin' in one place for too long, ya know?"

Retsu looked confused, then pensive. Finally, "Why did you join Shigeru?"

Izumi was caught off guard by the question. "Why did... Well, it's cause 'e took me in when I was little. I'm an orphan, ya know? The orphanage was...horrible, to say the least. And then he came, and took me away from it. You would have followed 'im too if ya heard the way he talked and ya were like me. Like he was going to create a better world, like everything would be alright if we just followed 'im..." he shook his head ruefully, a bitter smile making its way onto his face. "It kinda sounds dumb now, doesn't it? But back then, I really didn't have anything else to believe in. Foolin' myself like that was just the least painful thing."

"...You were lying about wanting to leave," the other said once he'd finished. "I can feel it. You don't want to be alone anymore, right?" The singer's eyes widened in surprise. "Why not just stay here for a while?"

"Ya saved me from the Vendice, and for that I'll always be grateful, but I need to leave. Don't ya get it? I'm a danger to the mafia! To you!" There was a long pause after Izumi's outburst while Retsu thought over what had just been said. Finally, he sighed wearily.

"You know, I don't really understand all this mafia and family crap," Retsu started, scratching his head. "But like I said earlier, you're welcome to stay with us as a friend if you don't have anywhere else to go."

"Eh?" Izumi blinked, uncomprehending. "Weren't ya-"

"Yes I was listening, I just don't really care. I'm sure my mom won't mind if you stay for a while," the other plowed on, not giving himself a chance to think this through. "I mean, we've got an extra room in the house and all. I'm not forcing you into it or anything, it's just...if you don't have any other options..."

"...Ya really think she won't mind?" the orange-haired teen asked uncertainly.

"Probably not."

"...Maybe, if it's really fine, I could stay for a while. Just until I find another place, of course."

Retsu smiled at the others awkwardness. "Sounds good. I'll go tell her as soon as she finishes with her call."

Reborn appeared seemingly out of nowhere on his shoulder. "Ciaossu."

"Wha?" the boy exclaimed. "When'd you get there?"

"When you weren't paying attention and let your guard down," was the unapologetic answer. "Anyways, this is a letter from the Tenth congratulating you for finishing just in time."

"Wait, wait, wait," Retsu interrupted. "Just in time? I had almost twenty hours left if I wanted, right?"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"The letter actually came at four the day before you went to the concert," Reborn clarified. "I just forgot about it until then. You actually only had about fifteen minutes after the Vendice came to pick him up."

"..."

"..."

"_What_? Reborn!"

"Don't whine."

"OW!"

And thus, things returned to their natural(?) order.

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**It's finally over! Yes! I'm sorry, but I was done with this arc four chapters ago, and I'm so glad it's over. For those of you wondering about who the hell Miyuki is, you're going to have to wait a little longer, because that actually becomes important later. Just...not as much now. Sorry! New arc next chapter, which should hopefully be up soon. Oh, and the poll closes when I update next! Please review!**


	36. The Queen's Return

**Hi everybody! With this chapter, the new arc has officially begun! *cheering in background* Personally, I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out, though you're of course entitled to your opinion. Anyways, on to reviews. Only one this time. :p Love you all to death, but I'd love you even more if you'd review (just saying).**

**dotYui: But they're important to the plot! I can't just leave them to rot in the Vendicare! Believe it or not, that actually happened to me the other day, and I was determined to put that in a story somewhere. The reasons were completely made up on the spot, if you must know, so I'm glad you liked them. ^^ Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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Our Sky

Chapter 36: The Queen's Return

It was a clear, calm night in the small town of Namimori. The ordinary citizens were asleep, completely oblivious to the battle that had take place only a week ago, their lives continuing on normally. The students of Namimori Junior High were blissfully unaware of the drastic change that was about to occur in their lives. The drastic change that came in the form of a boy and girl.

The two teenagers in question were standing in front of the school. It was the middle of the night, but neither seemed to care.

"So we're allowed to go back tomorrow, huh?" the girl observed. It wasn't so much a question as a statement, but the other was used to such things.

"For you, maybe," her companion chuckled softly. "My suspension was lifted three weeks ago. _Yours _is the one that's ending tomorrow."

"But you didn't want me to be lonely, so you decided not to go, right Hiro-chan?"

"You could say that."

"Would you phrase it differently?"

"It's more of that I just didn't want to go back," 'Hiro-chan' shrugged, adjusting the dark blue knit cap on his head so that it hid more of his messy black hair. "Not out of any real obligation to you."

"Liar."

"Hn," was the only response. When she saw she wasn't going to get anything else out of him, the girl stuck her tongue out at him, then turned and scaled the school's fence. From there, she hopped up onto one of the stone gateposts. She straightened, standing tall like a statue. Or a queen surveying her land. The girl smirked.

"I wonder if they've forgotten me," she mused quietly. From the ground, her companion snorted.

"Oh please," he said. "You're hardly an easy person to forget, Rui."

Her smirk widened, green eyes glittering in the moonlight as she turned to face him.

"What do you say we shake things up a little around here?"

_**~OS~**_

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually glad to go back to school," Retsu said wearily as he grabbed his school bag and pulled on his shoes. Daisuke, who was sitting in the kitchen eating, nearly choked on his breakfast.

"Retsu, are you sure you're okay!" he exclaimed, rushing over to put his hand to his little brother's forehead. "You're not warm, but...did you hit your head recently?"

"Get off!" the teen shouted, playfully shoving Dai away. "I'm fine, I swear."

"But you said..." the older male whined, and Retsu sighed.

"Look, anything, even school, is better than being home-schooled by _that_," he said, pointing at the baby standing beside him. Reborn pouted, looking for all the world like a hurt child.

"How horrible," the infant looked up, an evil glint in his eye that sent a chill up his student's spine. "Bad children need to be punished, right Leon?" The chameleon nodded, morphing into a hammer. Retsu gulped, shooting to his feet and shoving the door open in record time.

_Guess Leon's back to normal_, the boy thought as he ran for his life across the lawn, Reborn hot on his heels.

"Have a good day at school," Dai called after them, smiling and shaking his head. Mayumi poked her head out of the kitchen as he re-entered.

"Did the two of them leave already?" she asked, holding up a box wrapped in a blue cloth. "Retsu forgot his lunch."

"Really?" the man sighed, flopping back into a chair with a wince. His wounds from the battle had yet to fully heal, and he was still feeling them at times. Izumi walked into the kitchen, yawning and rubbing his growling stomach.

"Did ya just say the boss left his lunch here?" the boy asked, unconsciously using the title in his half-asleep state. Dai froze.

"The boss?" his mother repeated, confused. "You don't mean Retsu, do you?"

"Huh?" was the intelligent response. Luckily, the eldest Akimura brother was there to rescue the situation.

"I-it's this online game they play!" he said hastily. Mayumi gave him a critical look, and he sweat-dropped. _Damn woman's and mother's intuition, _he thought. "I've heard it's pretty fun! Something to do with the mafia or something. I never really paid much attention, but maybe I should start if it's so fun that Izumi-kun's dreaming about it!"

"Wha? Oh, yeah!" the orange haired boy was quick to agree, jolted out of his drowsiness by the words. "Tons of fun!"

"...Whatever you say, boys." The woman still looked unconvinced, but decided to let it slide. "As long as it's not giving you any dangerous ideas, I don't really mind. And back to your earlier question, yes, Retsu forgot his lunch."

"And I don't think he's got any money on him," Dai added.

"I can take it to 'im, if that's okay with ya," Izumi offered. "If I leave now, I might be able to catch 'im before he gets to school."

"That would be lovely," Mayumi said, but hesitated to give the lunch to him. "But, your injuries..."

"I'm fine," he shook it off dismissively with a sweet smile. "They weren't that bad, and I heal fast." With that said, he snatched the lunch, along with a few pieces of toast off Dai's plate, and headed out the door, ignoring the man's protests/death threats.

"Stupid brat," Daisuke mumbled once he was sure Izumi was gone, poking his rice with a chopstick. His mother only giggled, already putting a few more slices of bread in the toaster.

"Things are so lively around here nowadays," she said to herself. "It's nice."

"Wait a minute," her son momentarily paused in his sulking, remembering something.

"What is it?"

"Does Izumi even know the way to the school?"

_**~OS~**_

Against all odds, Retsu actually made it to school without being heavily wounded. He collapsed in front of his locker, panting hard.

"You're getting better at that," Reborn commented approvingly. The boy shot him a glare.

"Yeah, well, I get lots of practice," he grumbled.

"Good morning, Retsu," Yume greeted sleepily (more so than usual) as she walked up. All of her glaringly obvious injuries had healed for the most part, but Retsu was willing to bet that she still had those bandages wrapped around her waist. "Have a nice run to school?"

"It was wonderful," he replied sarcastically. "Reborn and me-OW!" The baby had suddenly walked up to him, grabbed a finger, and twisted it. Hard. "The hell was that fo-OW!"

"No swearing," Reborn pointed out, obviously getting far more pleasure out of this than he should have been. "And it's Reborn and I. As your tutor, it's my responsibility to help you learn things like that."

"You could have just corrected me!"

"But this way, you'll always remember it."

Jun, Kazuki, and Amatsu chose this moment to show up. The sprinter was sporting a bandage under one eye, courtesy of his fight with Usagi, and Kazuki was still limping slightly, but other than that, they seemed fine. It was all of their first day back to school since the fight with the 6 Zodiacs, and it was obvious that Amatsu was dying to know what happened to them.

Thing was, they couldn't tell him, so they'd come up with a suitable lie for them all to tell. It felt awful to lie to his best friend since, well, forever, but it was necessary.

"Hey Retsu," their blond friend said in his usual, sunny manner. He realized Reborn was there as well, and he waved. "Nice to see you again too, kid." The baby nodded in response.

"Hey, guys?" Jun asked, a bit uncertainly.

"What's up?" Amatsu pushed a piece of his brown hair out of his eyes, staring up at the taller boy questioningly.

"Do any of you...feel like something's wrong here?"

"What do you mean?" Retsu replied nervously.

"I don't exactly know," the black haired boy looked around thoughtfully. "Everyone just seems kind of tense, you know?"

The other teens took the opportunity to finally notice the atmosphere around them, and found that their friend was right. No one was looking at them, despite all the noise they'd been making only moments ago. In fact, they seemed to be avoiding the group, and each other, as if trying not to draw attention to themselves.

"I can't think of any reason for this," Amatsu mused, then a thought occurred to him, and he blanched. "Oh god. Not unless..."

"C'mon, what's all this about?" Kazuki's innocent question echoed throughout the entire hallway. He received a few worried glances, even some openly horrified ones, but all eyes were drawn away moments later when the school door was kicked open by someone's foot. An audible gasp went around the room once everyone had gotten a good look, and students scrambled out, desperately trying to make themselves scarce.

Standing in the doorway was a girl around their age. She had red hair down to the small of her back, and alert light green eyes. Multiple piercings lined both ears, and though she was technically wearing the girl's uniform without the tie, it looked nothing like it usually did. The white shirt was unbuttoned all the way down, revealing a blue tank-top underneath, which was the same color as her short skirt. She wore two criss-crossing black belts around her waist, and knee-length white socks led to black shoes. In case the rest of her didn't scream "Delinquent Badass," she was also carrying a metal baseball bat.

Behind her was a boy, also their age, dressed in a similarly different way. Messy black hair was kept back by a dark blue beanie, and brown eyes surveyed the scene around them with keen awareness. He didn't seem to even bother with the uniform, instead wearing a red T-shirt, dark blue jeans, a black belt like the girl's, only singular, and red and black sneakers. A laptop was held under one arm, and as the pair walked in he blew a bubble then popped it, showing that he was chewing gum.

"Her suspension ended today," Amatsu whispered in a small, scared voice. "They're back. Edogawa Rui and Kimidori Hiro."

_**~OS~**_

_Now if I were a school, where would I be? _Izumi wondered as he jogged along the streets of the town, completely and utterly lost. He thought he'd seen it somewhere around here the other day, but back then he'd been too preoccupied with finding Retsu and his friends to take any notice. Now, he wished he had. T_his town isn't even that big! Where is it?_

Of course, just as that thought crossed his mind, his attention was caught by a sign outside of a large, tan building, proudly stating that this was Namimori Junior High. _Figures_, he sighed to himself, then picked up the pace. He hadn't seen Retsu on the way here, as he'd hoped, but maybe he could still catch the other boy before class started.

A thought came to him as he entered the grounds that made him stop. Wasn't he supposed to be a rockstar? And he was sure he'd seen quite a few people in the crowd that looked like they were wearing a uniform. So, didn't that mean people would recognize him here?

...Okay, so maybe Izumi hadn't thought this out that well, but honestly, he'd expected to catch Retsu before they got to the school. Now, he had a problem. Oh well, nothing he could do about it now. Best to just get in and get out, hoping no one recognized him. All he needed was a little luck.

He should have known that plan was going to fail.

* * *

**This is kind of a short chapter, but I got what I wanted in. ^^ As promised, the poll closed with this! And here are the results!**

**The winner, with 3 votes, was Retsu!**

**Coming in second with 2 votes, Jun and Kurohana tied!**

**And for third place, each with 1 vote respectively, were Kazuki, Yume, Izumi, and Daisuke. **

**Thanks a million to everyone who voted! ^^ And remember to press that little button under this because as we all know, reviews are like a writer's lifeblood. Or at least, they are to me.**


	37. Edogawa Rui and Kimidori Hiro

***hides in corner* I'm so sorry this is so late! This summer has been really busy for me, not to mention I hit some small writer's block with this chapter. Needless to say, it's gone now, but maybe a little too late. -.- Not much to talk about other than that I'm really tired now and want to sleep. So I'm cutting this short. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, as always!**

**Blakk Magic: It's perfectly fine. That happens to us all, and I'm just glad you took the time to review this chapter. ^^ I'm sorry I couldn't update sooner, but I'm glad you like the chapter. For guardians: Kazuki is the sun, Jun is the storm, and Yume/Kurohana are rain. Hope you like this chapter!**

**dJhAmystery: I'm truly sorry this is so late. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.**

**dotYui: I'm glad I have your approval on that one. :p Don't stab Retsu! He's the protagonist! The story dies with him! I don't know why I chose Hiro. I just like that name too. I like caps in anime too. ^^ Right, you can go ship those two for the time being until I crush your dreams with her introduction. :p I love writing her, though I think you'll find her a little different than those two. Still, a combination of Hibari and Yamamoto... that would be an interesting character. Izumi the puppy. It makes a cute image. ^^**

******Reborn22:**** It is exactly like him****, isn't it? ^^ I'm glad you like her.**

**5minutes-to-midnight: I never thought of it that way, but I guess you're right about that. They are kind of similar. Unintentional, but not unwanted I guess. ^^**

**ja: The explanation for that is actually in the first part of this chapter.**

**

* * *

**

Our Sky

Chapter 37: Edogawa Rui and Kimidori Hiro

Namimori Junior High was a very unique school. Any student, teacher, or former student would tell you that with perfect honesty, making it one of the few things that they all agreed on. But just word of mouth isn't convincing enough. Why was it such an odd place?

Well for starters, unlike other nearby schools with uniforms, the dress code was not enforced very harshly. To give a few examples: Jun wore jeans instead of black pants, Kazuki usually wore shorts, and Yume wore capris instead of the usual skirt. At least half of the students didn't wear the tie that was supposed to be used, so basically, as long as one had a light-colored top and dark bottoms, one was clear.

But why did such a strange custom exist then? Why not just give up on uniforms? Well, that would be courtesy of Namimori's other main problem: delinquents.

Ever since the days of the golden generation of Namimori and Hibari Kyoya, there had always been one person in every year who would, in short, make life hell for the rest of their class. But above all of these, there would always be one who stood above the rest, the delinquent of all delinquents. The king of the school. Or in the case of Retsu's year, the queen.

Edogawa Rui, the undisputed queen of Namimori Junior High. Many had tried to knock her off her throne, but none had succeeded. She and her faithful second-in-command, Kimidori Hiro, ruled the area with an iron grip. Some people said that if Hibari had had a daughter, her name would be Edogawa Rui. Ruthless, cunning, and beautiful in a scary kind of way, the girl seemed to have no weaknesses. That coupled with Hiro's extensive blackmail network made the two practically invincible, even to teachers.

On the second to last day before summer break, one brave teacher had taken it upon himself to finally suspend them for fighting on campus. Rui took it much better than anyone would have believed, only smashing a few windows with her ever-present baseball bat before taking off in an angry huff. True to their word, neither of the pair showed up in school the next day.

Neither did the man who'd suspended them.

But back to how any of that tied in with uniforms, Rui refused to wear the outfit as it was supposed to be, and since the teachers couldn't do a thing about her, the custom began to rub off on the rest of the student body. Soon, there were too many for the administrators to deal with, and with the threat of the queen's wrath should they try to make any new rules, they were forced to live with it and move on.

Of course, Izumi was completely oblivious of all of this when he stepped into the school that day. He thought that the girl in the doorway was just another student, albeit an odd looking one. So he really didn't understand why Retsu and his friends looked so horrified when he accidentally ran into the other because he hadn't been able to see her through the tinted glass of the doors.

"S-sorry," Izumi muttered, jumping back from the person he had just run into. Her fiery red hair flew through the air as she turned to stare at him in shock. Later, he would wonder how he'd missed the bat clenched menacingly in her left hand, but at the moment he was too preoccupied with apologizing. "I didn't see ya there," he continued, refusing to meet her searching gaze in embarrassment.

"What the- Who the hell are you?" she growled, green eyes narrowing into a glare. They widened fractionally in recognition a second later, but her ferocity didn't in the least. "Wait a minute... Do I know you from some-"

"Hey!" Retsu cried, running over and grabbing the younger by the arm.

"Retsu-san?" the orange haired boy turned to his friend, confusion evident on his face. "What's wrong?"

"We need to leave. Now," his friend said firmly, trying to battle down the almost instinctual fear he felt for Rui. The teen bowed to her and mumbled an apology before all but dragging Izumi out the door.

"...What just happened?" Hiro questioned, blowing another bubble absentmindedly. His expression was bored, his voice flat and indifferent, as if he had asked more out of habit than any real interest. Only the boy's eyes betrayed him, reflecting the mix of confusion and amusement he was actually feeling.

"Hell if I know," Rui shrugged in response, bringing up her free hand to lightly slap her forehead a few times in frustration. "Dammit all, where do I recognize that kid from? He's not from this school, is he?"

"No," the brunet replied immediately, completely confident with his answer despite the broad subject it encompassed. "I don't recognize him, and he wasn't registered in the weeks we've been gone."

"So where have I seen him before?" she growled out, irritated by her momentary memory loss. "Have we fought him?"

"No."

"A relative of someone we've fought?"

"Highly unlikely."

"Um...new challenger?"

"Even more unlikely," Hiro answered in the same calm tone as he had for all the others. "I don't think you're looking in the right places for this guy. You're going to have to be more creative."

"Fuck," she cursed under her breath in annoyance. "This is annoying me. I know you know who he is, so stop making me guess. _You're_ the one with the good memory, not me."

"But that would take away all the fun." The barest hint of a smile ghosted across his lips at the others aggravation. Rui opened her mouth to yell at him for being such a bastard, but was stopped short by the sound of a poster being ripped off one of the lockers. Her eyes narrowed and flicked over to where Retsu's four friends were still standing, Kazuki now with a crumpled up ball of paper in his hand. Jun returned her glare full force while Yume just glanced between the two, head tilted to the side in confusion. Amatsu was doing his best to hide behind the blond soccer player, trying to disappear without much success.

"What do you want?" she bit out in a low voice, bringing up her bat to rest on a shoulder. "Get out of here."

"You can't make us-" Jun started angrily, but she cut him off.

"_Leave_," Rui snarled, taking a menacing step forward. The black haired boy made no move to back down. In fact, he was about to give her the snide reply on the tip of his tongue when Yume and Kazuki, after a look of silent agreement, each grabbed one of his sleeves and proceeded to drag him down the hall towards their classroom, ignoring his protests.

"It's not worth it," the blond whispered in his ear. "Don't make an enemy of Rui over something like this."

"Who's Rui?" Yume asked, puzzled, once they were safely inside. "I mean, I understand that she's a very scary person and all, but why did everyone run away? She wasn't _that_ bad."

"Do you remember what we told you about that demonic prefect?" Jun, having gotten over his bout of stubborn sulking, questioned. The girl nodded, not seeing the connection. "Well...she's the Hibari of our year."

~X~

"You're so lucky she didn't get a very good look at you," Retsu sighed, slumping against the school wall behind him. Just to be safe, he had led them to the back of the building to escape the girl should she choose to follow. That was doubtful, but one never really could predict what Rui would do next. "Otherwise, you could've been dead right now."

"Why?" Izumi scratched his head in confusion, moving to stand beside the older boy. "Who was that girl just now?"

"Let's just say that she is a very scary person and leave it at that."

The orange haired teenager raised an eyebrow. "What's so bad about 'er?"

"Hm, what's so bad about Rui?" Retsu tapped a finger to his chin, pretending to think about it. "Well, to give you a clear picture, if we'd had her and Hiro last week, none of us would have had to do a thing."

Izumi gave the other a doubtful look, sure he was exaggerating. However, if the completely serious expression on his face was any indication, he was not. "No way."

"Well, hopefully you'll never have to find out firsthand just _how_ good she is," the violet eyed boy sighed again, running a hand through his hair. "But let's stop talking about Rui. I'm probably going to start getting nightmares if we continue. Was there any particular reason why you came here today?"

"Oh yeah," his eyes widened in remembrance. The singer reached back into his ever-present green backpack and withdrew the others lunch. "Ya forgot this."

Reborn, who had been silent up until this point, snorted. "Typical. Stupid Retsu."

"And who's fault is it that I didn't have time to go back and get it!" Retsu snapped, not even bothering to wonder when it was that the baby had materialized on his shoulder. He was just that used to it.

"And now you're blaming others for your shortcomings," Reborn shook his head, feigning weariness. "A hitman should be prepared for anything."

"I thought you wanted me to be a boss, not a hitman," the boy quipped snidely. "Make up your mind."

"It's good that you've accepted your future."

Retsu had no response. He only growled in annoyance, snatching the lunch from Izumi with slightly more force than necessary. For his part, the other boy was having a tough time fighting down the urge to laugh at the previous conversation.

"Thanks," his friend mumbled, indicating the lunch he now held. "Sorry, but I need to get back to class." The orange haired teen nodded in understanding, returning Retsu's small smile with a happy one of his own before the older walked away.

"Ya think I should just go back to the house now?" he asked Reborn, who had stayed behind. The baby shrugged.

"You could do that," the tutor conceded. Izumi raised an eyebrow, waiting for the second option he knew was coming. He wasn't disappointed. "Or you could go out and familiarize yourself with the town."

The boy weighed his options, but the decision honestly wasn't that hard to make. Either go home and do nothing or be semi-productive and get some exercise. "That sounds like a better idea."

"Good," Reborn nodded in approval. "As for me..." He grabbed Leon off his hat. The lizard morphed into what looked like three small helicopter blades attached to the handle of an umbrella. The blades began to spin, carrying the infant upwards. The singer watched all of this with mild interest, having seen weirder things during his time with Shigeru. Not by much, but still more odd than a baby being lifted up by a transformed chameleon. "I'm going to go punish Retsu for being so rude."

_Good luck Retsu-san,_ Izumi thought as he watched Reborn float away, sweatdropping. _You're probably gonna need it._

~X~

"Kazuki, why do you have a poster of Izumi on your desk?" Retsu asked, holding up the article. It had been crumpled into a ball originally, but once straightened out the younger boy's face was still perfectly visible, smiling up at him from the page.

They were standing in front of the blond's desk, Jun and Yume leaning on two of the nearby ones, Amatsu off talking with someone else about the homework, explaining to the girl why she had yet to meet Rui and Hiro despite the two empty spots in their room that suggested that they were in the same class. Retsu had just noticed the balled up paper on his friend's desk. He had only arrived a few minutes ago, so why it was there was entirely lost to him.

"I tore it off one of the lockers earlier," the soccer player answered.

"Why?"

"Rui couldn't remember Izumi, and I was just thinking that if she decides to go on a rampage again like the last time she got back from a suspension, it would probably be best if she didn't know who the kid who bumped into her this morning was."

Retsu thought that one over for a second before nodding. "Good idea," he agreed right as the classroom door opened. The teacher walked in, shooing his students back to their respective seats despite their protests. When they were all seated, he began the roll call. Halfway down the list, he stopped, eyebrows rising at the additions to it. It didn't take a genius to figure out who's name the man was looking at.

"Edogawa Rui," he called, gaze searching the room for the unfamiliar teenager. He was new to the school. In fact, Mr. Tanaka was the one who had replaced the teacher who disappeared after the pair's suspension.

"Here."

All eyes flew to the source of the voice. Nobody had heard the girl enter the room, so it was understandably a surprise to see her sitting there, casually leaning back in her chair as if she'd been there from the start. Which, Retsu realized with a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach, she may have been. Had she overheard their conversation? Or worse, seen the poster?

"Edogawa-san, please sit up straight," Mr. Tanaka said, a barely veiled order disguised by polite words. He'd heard about this girl, but he'd be damned if he allowed her to act up in his class.

"Make me," she shot back, unfazed. From his seat beside her, Hiro sighed, shooting her a weary sideways glance. His fingers never stopped in their flight across the laptop's keyboard, only the telltale _click-clack _of the keys giving away that he was actually typing something in. The redhead huffed, but allowed her chair to fall back into its proper position with a _thud_. "Whatever," she muttered in defeat, turning her icy gaze back to the teacher. After a short staring contest, the man looked away, calling out the rest of the names on the list as if nothing had happened.

When roll call was finished, they began their first lesson. Math. Oh how Retsu hated math. He had nothing personal against it and he understood its significance in life, but that didn't stop the subject from being impossible for him.

Surprisingly, out of his four friends, it was Kazuki who understood it best. Despite Amatsu's high marks in every other class, there was something about this particular one that confused him just enough to mess up his otherwise perfect report card. Jun was pretty good with it, and the same went for Yume, but Kazuki just blew them all away. In fact, he had the highest overall grade in the entire class. Of course, that didn't help his 50 in English in the least, but still, being top of the class in anything was pretty impressive.

There was, however, one student who would have done better had he deigned to come to school more: Kimidori Hiro, Rui's best friend and partner in crime. He was, in short, a bit of a genius. The full span of his abilities was unknown to everyone except perhaps Rui and Hiro himself, but it was clear to anyone that the boy was wicked smart. Able to solve all but the most difficult of problems in mere minutes, he was probably one of the most intelligent people Retsu had ever met, if not the most in terms of raw ability. And he only came to school enough to be able to graduate when the time came. It was kind of scary to imagine what he could do if he ever put real effort into it.

They were almost done with the lesson when Rui suddenly shot out of her chair, eyes alight with triumph. The piece of furniture fell to the ground with a clatter, but she made no move to pick it up. Instead, she turned to Hiro, practically bouncing on her toes in excitement.

"I know who that guy is!" she cried happily. Retsu paled, and he was fairly sure that his friends were thinking the same thing as he was:

Damn.

"You finally remembered?" Hiro asked, smiling slightly in amusement at his friend's elation.

"Hell yeah I did!"

"Edogawa-san!" the teacher yelled, glaring at the redhead. "I've already talked to you once today. Next time, it'll be detention. Now return to your seat and stop disrupting my class!"

Wrong move, and everybody else in the class knew it. There were basically three rules teachers were advised to follow when Rui was in the room. One: Don't tell her to stop doing something. Two: Don't interrupt her. And three: Never_, ever_ threaten either Hiro or her with detention. And Mr. Tanaka had just broken all three.

Slowly, the girl turned to face him. Her previously happy face had changed to one of steely anger. Beside her, Hiro had reverted back to his emotionless expression, eyes hardened with dislike.

"What?" Rui asked, tone threatening. She was giving him a second chance to take back what he'd said, but apparently this fact escaped him.

"You heard me! Return to your seat!"

"...Old man, you're new here, aren't you?" she said at length, seemingly taking a moment to digest his answer before turning to the brunet on her right. "What've you got on him, Hiro?"

"Tanaka Gorou, age 41," the boy rattled off, cold stare flickering between the stunned man at the front of the room and his computer screen. "Born to Tanaka Sano and Kasami in Namimori Hospital. Attended Namimori from primary to high school, then went to T University. Never married, though not for lack of trying."

"That is enough!" Mr. Tanaka cried, blushing fiercely at that last bit. "Young man, where did you find all this?"

"Around," was the brunet's vague answer before continuing. "Played mostly baseball in high school, but never made it to the starting lineup, and...oh, what's this?"

"What is it?" Rui leaned to the side to get a better look, eyebrows rising at the picture. She smirked. "That _is _interesting. Care to share with the rest of the class?"

The teacher blanched, and he hurried over to where there. If they had found what he thought they had, he'd never live it down. Luckily for him, both teens sat at the very back of the room, so none of the other students had seen the picture.

Yet.

He stopped at the sight of what was on Hiro's laptop, face paling even more if that was possible. "Don't...don't you dare..." The words weren't coming. Rui's smirk widened.

"What were you saying about detention again?" She ran a finger along the top of the screen, stopping at the corner and beginning to turn it towards the rest of the class. Quickly, Mr. Tanaka slammed a hand down on the computer. The girl withdrew her fingers just fast enough to avoid getting them stuck, but she was enjoying watching him squirm too much to care.

"How are you two not in jail yet?" the teacher muttered, defeated. Rui's treated him to a sly smile as Hiro stood up from his seat, blowing a bubble. The pop was unusually loud in the silent classroom, making the man flinch.

"We are merely the keepers of others secrets," she answered, heading for the door. At the last second, the redhead turned back to face Mr. Tanaka, devilish smile never leaving her lips. "Whether or not they _stay_ secrets is entirely up to the people themselves."

And with those parting words, the two were off, leaving only a mix of shock and awe in their wake.

"I-I need to take a short break," Mr. Tanaka finally said, heading in the same direction Rui and Hiro had just gone. "You have self-study until I get back."

For a moment after his departure, the class was silent. Then, as if a dam had burst, conversation flooded it, all of the students chattering about the queen's most recent triumph and comparing it with previous ones. The general consensus was that this was one of her more dramatic performances, but also one of the most interesting to watch.

Yume, for her part, was speechless.

"This kind of thing has almost become a ritual for when a new teacher shows up," Kazuki supplied, seeing that she wasn't going to ask herself. "Neither of them take kindly to being told what to do, so this was bound to happen eventually. I swear, Hiro-kun can find something about anyone."

"Don't bother asking how he does it," Jun chimed in, walking over from his own desk. "None of us have any clue, and it's not like he's just going to come out and tell us."

"See why they're so scary?" Amatsu prompted, approaching with Retsu at his side. The white haired boy's attention was fixed on the classroom door, and more specifically, the footsteps he heard outside. As expected, it opened seconds later, admitting in possibly the prettiest girl in the school.

Her almond-shaped hazel eyes roamed the room, searching for someone. Dark brown hair floated around her pretty, pale face, accentuating her fine features. The hair ended just below her shoulders, and her uniform was worn just as it was intended to be, straight down to the color of her tie. She was slim but athletic looking due to her position as captain of the girls' volleyball team. And as for her name...

"Retsu-kun!" she exclaimed happily, eyes meeting with his as she made her way over.

"Yuuka-chan," he smiled, ignoring the shocked looks he was getting from his classmates. "It's good to see you again."

"You too," Yuuka returned the smile, but it quickly changed to small frown of worry. "Sorry to cut our conversation so short, but I came in here because I heard Hiro was in school today. Is he?"

"He was," Retsu sighed apologetically. "He and Rui drove another teacher insane, then left. I don't know where they are now."

"I see..." the girl's frown deepened. "I haven't seen him in the house for a week, and now I can't even find him in school. I'm worried."

"He looked fine when I saw him, if that's any consolation."

"Thanks, and it really is. It's just that he has those periods where he doesn't return home or go to school for days at a time, and I wonder if he's really alright..."

"I understand," he patted her shoulder reassuringly. "But think of it this way; as long as he's with Rui, no harm will come to him."

She giggled slightly at his comment. "I guess you're right about that," Yuuka conceded with a smile. It was at this point that she finally noticed the four other teenagers, turning to face them with a small blush. Her gaze went first to Yume, which was to be expected with her wild hair and unusual eyes. She recognized the rest of Retsu's friends, but this girl was new. "I don't think we've met before," the older girl said, extending a hand with a smile. "My name's Kimidori Yuuka. You?"

"Yamanaka Yume," the other replied, taking the offered hand and shaking. "I'm new here, so no, we probably haven't."

"Well, can't say that anymore," Yuuka winked. "I'm in the year ahead of you guys, but I'm down in this part of the building a lot. Hopefully, we'll see a lot of each other."

"Yeah..." the younger teen nodded, a small smile on her face. The high schooler turned to Amatsu and Jun in turn, exchanging greetings. When she got to Kazuki, however, she couldn't shake his hand or even meet his eyes. She was blushing, trying and failing to cover it up. The blond however, being who he was, didn't notice.

"Hi," he chirped in his usual, cheerful way. "I'm Kazuki. We've seen each other after school a couple times, right?"

"U-um, yeah," she mumbled shyly, still looking at the floor. Retsu thought his female friend might faint if the conversation continued, but she ended it for him. Eyes darting to the clock, she faked surprise. "Oh, would you look at that time! I-I got to go. The teacher'll want me back in class. Um, bye!"

Yuuka scrambled out the door, leaving behind a confused Kazuki and his four friends who couldn't decide if it would be alright to laugh.

"Did I say something wrong?" the soccer player asked, genuinely confused.

"Kazuki..." Yume started, fighting back her urge to laugh.

"You are possibly the densest person I know," Jun sighed, which only puzzled his friend more.

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind," Retsu cut in before an argument could start. "Let's talk about something else."

"Good idea," Jun agreed, immediately moving his attention to the boy who'd spoken. "Let's talk about what's most important here: how do _you_ know Kimidori-san?"

"Her dad works with my mom," Retsu replied casually. "We've met a few times 'cause of that, and bonded over our worry for our brothers."

"Worry for your brothers?" Yume echoed. "Who's her brother?

"Eh? You didn't know?" She shook her head. "It's Hiro. Yuuka-chan is his older sister."

* * *

**Oh gosh, I completely forgot this until now! Here's your belated guardian question!**

**What guardian is Izumi?**

**What can I say, I'm really forgetful. Don't trust me with important phone numbers or anything. :p With that lovely parting note, please review!**


	38. Promise

**Told you I got rid of my writer's block (let's keep our fingers crossed). I actually had fun writing this chapter, though there's not much on Retsu and the gang. More Rui and Hiro, who I personally really like. They're two of my favorites, along with Dai, Jing, and Retsu and co. So basically...I like everybody. ^^ Except the 6 Zodiacs (minus Izumi). Don't like them. -.-**

**For the question: Everyone who guessed was correct! Congrats to dotYui and YuukiChan95. Izumi is the guardian of thunder. ^^**

**dJhAmystery: I'm glad you're so excited. ^^ And that you like the three new characters. They're fun to write, and you'll be seeing more of them all.**

**Radiant Skyes: I kind of just reply to a review when I get it, so bear with me on that. I'm happy that you like Retsu, and as for if he's Tsuna's son... wait and find out. ^^**

**dotYui: Yeah, it's kind of gone downhill. I think if he came now, he wouldn't even recognize it. Which brings up the question: where is Hibari? I...do not know actually. JK, but he probably won't show up for a little, despite how awesome he is. Rui and Hibari are both different and similar, and I hope you like her as much as you do him. I don't know what weirder things Izumi has seen (notice how I didn't write them down). Yes, Yuuka likes Kazuki. I thought it'd be a nice touch, and could make for some interesting bits farther on in the story. **

**YuukiChan95: Yes, no one can be quite like Hibari. Yuuka definitely likes Kazuki, I can tell you that much. ^^**

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Our Sky

Chapter 38: Promise

"Maybe we should start going to school more," Rui suggested with a smirk, flopping down onto a park bench. "That was a lot of fun."

Hiro snorted, taking a seat next to her in a more graceful manner. "You can go by yourself then. I'm not attending class in that hellhole of a place anymore than I have to. Besides, it's only fun when there's a new teacher. Watching people be scared of us gets boring quickly."

"True," she agreed, leaning her head back to catch more of the sunlight filtering in through the tree branches above. Fall was definitely on it's way, bringing with it colder winds and the changing colors of the leaves. A particularly strong gust blew through clearing where they were seated, causing her to shiver slightly. The redhead sighed and moved to button up her white shirt. "I'm gonna have to start wearing a jacket soon. Damn, I miss summer. Why does it have to get cold again?"

"Do you want the technical answer or the simplified one?" her friend asked, giving her a small smile in response to the glare she sent him.

"Whichever hurts my head less," Rui answered with a dismissive wave of her hand. "We went to class today, so no more learning."

"We stayed for maybe forty-five minutes, and you can't honestly tell me you were paying attention."

"And why not?" The girl sat up indignantly.

"I saw you drawing on your desk. I believe it was something along the lines of you beating the new teacher's head in with your bat," he answered dryly. "I thought it was very well done."

She didn't have a comeback for that.

After leaving school, the pair had made their way to a park on the outskirts of town. The far location coupled with the fact that it was the middle of a weekday pretty much equated to them being the only ones there. Or at least, it should have. It turned out that Rui didn't need a reply to Hiro's previous comment, as they were interrupted only seconds later by a rather large group of older teenagers' approach. To most, they probably would have looked extremely intimidating, what with their dyed hair, multiple piercings, and the iron pipes in several of their hands. To the two younger ones however...

"I think they're trying too hard," Hiro commented, blowing a bubble with his gum. He never seemed to go anywhere without the candy. There were some pretty scary rumors in school about what would happen if the boy ever ran out, which he didn't encourage but certainly did nothing to stop. Truthfully, nothing would happen if he ran out; Hiro simply liked gum.

"I completely agree," the girl nodded, slowly pushing herself to her feet. Sunlight glinted menacingly off the gray bat held loosely in her left hand, momentarily blinding a few of the thugs as she moved it to rest on her shoulder, its usual place. "What do you want?" she raised her voice to address the crowd in general. "We're busy."

"Edogawa Rui!" The group parted to allow the speaker through. He looked to be a couple years older than Rui, with spiky blond hair that was dyed red at the tips and dark brown eyes half-hidden by black sunglasses. He was dressed in frayed blue jeans and an orange T-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, revealing the red dragon tattoo coiled around his right arm. A yellow and orange band adorned his left bicep, identifying him as President of the Disciplinary Committee. Judging by their attire, they were most likely from a school in the next town over, a place known for its gang violence.

"What?" she snapped impatiently. It was a nice day, and as much as she enjoyed a good fight, all the teen really wanted to do today was laze around in the park.

"We of the Kyoshin High School Disciplinary Committee have decided that you've held the title of strongest for too long," he smirked. "We're here to relieve you of it."

For a moment, she didn't say anything. Her eyes swept over the crowd coldly, ending with a glare at the blond boy. "I'm impressed," she said at length, a smirk slowly making its way onto her face. "You guys have put your heads together and actually managed to come up with a half-decent excuse for a fight. However, I see a problem with your reasoning."

"You bitch!" a black haired girl to the right of the president snarled, stamping one of her booted feet.

"And what did you find wrong with it?" he asked, grabbing onto the girl's arm to prevent her from charging at the redhead. Rui's grin widened, but her eyes only grew icier.

"Well you see, I don't actually have the title you're looking for," she answered calmly. "Mine's a little different."

"What do you mean?"

"Let me answer that with another question: what do you think the difference between strength and power is?"

"Aren't they the same thing?" the blond asked, eyebrows coming together in thought.

"That's what I thought you'd say," she sighed. "Of course there's a difference. Anyone can be strong. You need to work hard and train your body, or maybe you're just naturally strong, but either way, it's much easier to achieve. _Power_ on the other hand is the combination of several factors, though what those factors are can change given the circumstance. In this situation, power is achieved by a combination of strength, intelligence, and the ability to manipulate others. I, unlike you, have access to the intelligence and a way to influence other people," the girl pointed at Hiro, who had been sitting there typing away on his computer throughout the entire conversation. "And also have the strength to back it up. In this world, you need more than just physical strength to rise to the top. The weak follow the rules made by the strong. The strong follow the rules made by the powerful. It's highly unlikely that I'm the strongest person in the area. What I am is the most powerful. It's a very simple concept, and just I don't understand why more people don't get it."

The older boy was speechless. Rui waited a minute or so to let her words sink in before she spoke again.

"So...do _you_ get what I'm trying to say?"

The question cut through the quiet like a knife, bringing the other back to reality.

"Nice speech," he snarled, angry sparks snapping in his dark eyes. "But I don't give a damn about the difference between them. We're the Disciplinary Committee! We should be the strongest, or most powerful, or whatever shit you want to call it! But ever since those punks from our committee picked a fight with you and lost, we've been the laughingstock of our school. No matter how many people we win against, if they're not you, they don't seem to count! The only way to solve this is to beat you and take your title, whatever the hell it is!"

"...The Disciplinary Committee, huh?" the redhead echoed, completely ignoring the rest of what he said. "There used to be one of those in our school too." Her smile turned eerie, causing several in the crowd to shiver. There was something not right about this girl. She turned to share a look with her partner in crime, who had finally looked up from his screen long enough to catch her gaze. "We dealt with them first."

Rui brought her bat down on the concrete pathway beneath her feet with a loud clang, a satisfied smile appearing on her face as she watched the people before her flinch at the sudden noise. She folded her hands over the top and leaned down, resting most of her weight on the metal weapon.

"Care for a demonstration?"

And with that, she was off. The high schoolers had no idea what hit them until it was practically too late.

For there was a reason other than Hiro's scary intelligence, their blackmail network, and Rui's expert negotiating skills that the two of them were so powerful. And that reason was, pure and simple, Rui's ability to fight. The brunet was no pushover himself, but his friend seemed to almost not be of this world. Her speed and strength were practically unrivaled in the surrounding area, and that together with her calm head and frighteningly fast reflexes amounted in a truly deadly opponent. In all honestly, Hiro doubted he would have to do anything despite the size of the crowd. She seemed to be in a real hurry to get this over with, so he saw no reason to break her concentration.

Until one of the guys she'd kicked away nearly crashed into him. The impact of the others fall shook the bench, nearly jolting the laptop out of his hands. The boy's head snapped up to glare at his best friend.

"Be careful where you're throwing these guys!" he yelled angrily, for once breaking out of his usual calm monotone. "I almost dropped my computer!"

"Well _sorry_, princess!" she called back unsympathetically, bashing a girl almost twice her size in the leg with her bat. The older brunette dropped to her knees, swearing colorfully. Rui shut her up with a well-placed punch to the temple before moving on to the green haired boy approaching from behind, ducking beneath his punch and aiming one of her own at his stomach while he passed by. He fell to the ground beside the girl, unconscious. "Why don't you get up and help out!"

"'Cause I _thought_ you could handle it by yourself," Hiro grumbled to himself, unwillingly rising from his seat. "My bad."

He'd been standing for maybe ten seconds before a large boy with dyed blue hair came charging towards him, fists raised. The smaller took a step back to dodge with a bored look on his face, though it quickly turned to one of distaste when the attacker's other hand grazed his arm.

"Don't touch me," the brunet growled, grabbing the back of the blue-haired teen's sweatshirt and whirling him around. Even as he did this, he was already pressing down on one of the buttons on his keyboard. When the older turned to face him, he was met with a flare of incredibly bright light, momentarily blinding him. That was all the time it took for Hiro to kick him across the back of his head, sending his opponent flying into the bench he'd been sitting in only seconds ago.

Rui wasn't the only one who could fight.

On the far side of the crowd, away from the two main centers of damage, a small redheaded girl sprinted over to where her president was standing, watching the chaos with gritted teeth.

"Youji, we're loosing. Badly," she said bluntly, eyes darting over to the fight when one of their gang cried out before being silenced by Rui's bat. "We're going to have to pull out. They're way too strong. I'm telling you, that girl is not human, and I don't think her friend is either."

Youji bit his nail, turning to look at where the said teen was throwing another of the committee over his shoulder. The girl went flying towards two of her companions, knocking all three of them down in a pained, groaning heap. Still, Hiro was having decidedly more trouble with the fight than his redheaded best friend. Those two were supposedly inseparable, with the boy being the brains and Rui the strength. Maybe if he could separate them, he and his gang might have a chance...!

Once he'd had that thought, the plan came easily. It was both simple and risky, but also probably the best they were going to get. Youji beckoned his Vice-President over with a sly smile.

The girl blinked up at him with her big green eyes as he handed her a spare baseball bat and a syringe filled with clear liquid.

"Rika, I've got a job for you."

~X~

"Hiro!"

The boy turned at the sound of his name, eyes honing in on a blur of red running through the crowd

"What!" he called exasperatedly, ducking out of the way of a punch that was thrown his way. "I'm kind of busy right now!"

"I need to talk to you."

"It can wait," Hiro snapped, pressing the key that would light up the computer screen like last time. Three people were caught by the flash, all of them crying out and rapidly moving to cover their eyes. This allowed him a few seconds rest, which he used to search once again for Rui. Why would she pick now of all times?

"Over here!" She was closer this time, only a few bodies preventing a clear look at her. Something seemed off about this, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. For a supposed genius, the boy was surprisingly slow. Another flash of scarlet caught his eye, much farther back in the crowd. His stare moved to that, catching sight of a pair of alert green eyes and the glint of light off a metal bat. Blood was speckled across the girl's clothing, and it was most definitely Rui if her fighting style was anything to go by. So then who had called his name? Thinking back, it hadn't sounded entirely like his friend. Much higher pitched.

Of course, he only realized this as another body latched onto his arm, breaking him out of his thoughts in a flash. For the briefest moment, he thought it was Rui. But it wasn't; just a girl who looked remarkably like her.

"You're not-" Hiro didn't even have time to finish the sentence before a needle was plunged into his arm. Sharp pain spread through his body like wildfire, followed shortly by empty numbness. His attempts to shake her off proved useless, and the brunet could feel himself weakening rapidly. In a last desperate action, he ripped the syringe that was the cause for this predicament out of his arm. It was too late though: the tube was empty save for a few stubborn drops still clinging to the sides. His eyelids were becoming incredibly heavy, and he had to fight to keep them open. Hiro couldn't speak, couldn't even try to fight when he felt the boy that the Rui look-alike had called over throw him over his shoulder.

They were moving. Why couldn't he just give up and fall asleep again? He felt like he was wading through syrup in his thoughts. Slowly, the boy raised his gaze to survey the area around him blearily one last time before giving in to the darkness. For a brief second, his eyes connected with someone else's. Their eyes were bright green, and held a hidden warmth to them. They were nice eyes. He liked them. And they looked really familiar. Just like the girl they belonged to, who was frozen in shock. She looked really worried.

Why?

~X~

"I think he finally fell asleep," Rika sighed. "I thought the effects were supposed to be immediate. Why'd it take so long?"

"Maybe he's weird and inhuman like his friend," the boy carrying him, Senri, replied, shifting the others weight slightly. "He's really light though. You wouldn't think he'd be able to take down half of us by himself."

"Scary guy," she concluded, looking back to where the Edogawa girl had just stopped fighting. The ground by her feet was littered with unconscious bodies, all with injuries of varying seriousness. "Scary pair," she amended, signaling to the remaining members of the committee to hold her off for a few minutes so that she, Youji, Senri, and their knocked out captive could get away.

Upon receiving the signal, the eleven teenagers hurried to comply with their Vice-President's orders, moving to surround the frozen girl. It was only when Senri began to disappear out of sight that she was finally jolted back to reality, eyes widening in realization.

"No!" Rui cried, leaping forward. A wall of bodies was in her way, and no matter how many times she swung the bat and knocked one down, another would come to take their place. And the whole time, Hiro was getting farther away. She didn't want to loose him. For all she knew, he could be dead right now, or dying. What what could that Kyoshin guy possibly want with her best friend?

After what seemed like an eternity, the redhead finally managed to get through. She sprinted in the direction they had left, fear and panic giving her feet wings. But it was too late. She reached the edge of the park just in time to see a car speeding around the corner and down the road. Away from her.

Rui sank to her knees slowly, the pavement scraping at her exposed knees. She didn't care.

_**Flashback**_

_"Rui, what happened to you!" Hiro exclaimed. He was probably eleven, so it was around four years since they'd first met. _

_The girl herself was a sight for sore eyes. She had a black eye, multiple bruises lining her small arms, and a trail of blood led down from the corner of her mouth to her chin, dripping onto her blood-stained white shirt. In the alley behind her, several older teenagers lay unconscious, but the young boy only had eyes for his beaten best friend. She may have won, but just barely by the looks of it._

_"I got in a fight," she muttered, refusing to meet his eyes. "And I won."_

_"Why didn't you ask for my help!"_

_"You were taking a test," Rui answered sullenly. "I didn't want to bother you."_

_They were standing in front of the alley just to the side of the school wall. Indeed, Hiro had gotten out of a missed test only minutes ago, and had been drawn over here by the whispers of the students around him. Any conversation with "Rui" and "fight" in the same sentence probably wasn't good. They had been having more problems like this recently, ever since the girl had beaten a particularly nasty thug in town after he tried to bully the two of them out of their lunch money. He was now resting up in the hospital, which was probably where Rui should be. But the redhead would be too stubborn, so they'd have to settle with his house since he knew she wouldn't want to go back to hers._

_"You should have gotten me," he said at length. _

_"But-" she started to protest, but the brunet cut her off._

_"Silly, all you have to do is call when you need me. It doesn't matter if I'm busy or whatever; just say my name and I'll come. You know I'll always be there for you. You don't have to do everything by yourself."_

_"...You promise?" Rui asked hesitantly. She didn't trust others easily, but Hiro was different. When he promised something, she knew he would fulfill it. Because Hiro was a good person, and he wouldn't lie to her._

_He smiled in return. It was a gentle, caring smile. "I promise."_

_**End Flashback**_

"Hiro," she tried, but it came out as barely more than a whisper.

_Silly, all you have to do is call when you need me._

"Hiro." It was louder this time, but not enough. Not loud enough that he'd be able to hear her.

_It doesn't matter if I'm busy or whatever; just say my name and I'll come._

"Come back."

_You know I'll always be there for you._

"Hiro!" Rui yelled at the top of her lungs. She didn't know if anyone was near her, and she didn't care. Just as long as it reached the person it was intended for.

_I promise._

"Are you alright?" The panicked voice broke through her thoughts, dragging her kicking and screaming back to reality. She looked up at him, green eyes wide and slightly dazed. The boy hovering over her worriedly looked familiar, but she couldn't remember from where. Why did she feel like this had happened before?

"Who...?"

"Hey, I know you!" Izumi exclaimed, eyes brightening in recognition. "You're that girl from earlier today. Your name... Oh! Edogawa Rui, right?"


	39. Not The Point

**Yay, new chapter! We're pretty far along with this, aren't we? I'm proud of this chapter, and I hope you'll all like it too. ^^ Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed, as always. Please review again and tell me what you think. ^^**

**YuukiChan95: I'm glad to hear that. ^^ And yes, I guess he does. Well, he's just awesome like that.**

**Reborn22: That was the plan. Glad you can see it too. Those two are definitely powerful, that's for sure. And as for joining Retsu...read on to find out! It does though, doesn't it? :p**

**eeefgtt: Who knows? ^^ Well, you'll find out soon. (I'm sure that was totally not the answer you wanted, but I don't like giving spoilers. :p Sorry!)**

**pryo matrix45: First off, very cool name. I'm glad you like the story, and also Yume. Her versus Hibari...now that would be interesting. Good idea, I might try that! ^^**

**QueenofSpades99: I just won a poker game with a queen of spades, so your name's automatically good in my book. I'm happy to hear that you like it so much. ^^ Hope you like this chapter too. **

**dotYui: Thanks. I thought maybe that last part was too dramatic, so it's good to hear that you liked it. It was fun writing, that's for sure. ^^**

**LilyMoonstone: All will be revealed eventually. Sorry, can't give out anything more than that. :p I'm glad to hear that you like it, and I didn't realize it before but Hiro kind of is like Chikusa, doesn't he? Without the glasses, of course. ^^**

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Our Sky

Chapter 39: Not The Point

_Last Time:_

_"Are you alright?" The panicked voice broke through her thoughts, dragging her kicking and screaming back to reality. She looked up at him, green eyes wide and slightly dazed. The boy hovering over her worriedly looked familiar, but she couldn't remember from where. Why did she feel like this had happened before?_

_"Who...?"_

_"Hey, I know you!" Izumi exclaimed, eyes brightening in recognition. "You're that girl from earlier today. Your name... Oh! Edogawa Rui, right?"_

~X~

"...And the last thing I saw was a car driving away. They went down that road," Rui pointed towards where she'd seen the car go.

"I see," Izumi nodded, stare trained worriedly on the girl before him. The redhead had just finished recounting the previous events to him, from when she and Hiro had left school to the boy's kidnapping. Sometime during the story, she had drawn her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around the front of them in a protective position. Her eyes were dull, so unlike the vibrant shade they had been when he'd first seen the other. It was unsettling, to say the least.

"I'm really worried," she admitted quietly. That was another thing that was weird to him. Izumi didn't know a lot about her, but from what Retsu had told him about Rui's personality and his own run-in with her that morning, the girl really didn't seem like a demure person. But here she was, words barely above a whisper and unable to meet his eyes. "We're always together. Hiro's more than a best friend to me: he's like my twin brother. I don't know what to do without him. I _need_ him. And now I don't know where he is or what they want with him or if he's even _alive_, and it's killing me!"

"I would definitely say he's alive," the younger teen said in an attempt to comfort her. "What would those Kyoshin guys ever want with a dead guy?"

"Hide the body," she mumbled in response. Had the singer had a normal upbringing, he probably would have been a bit startled at the confidence in her answer, as if that was what she expected from the situation. As it was, however, he had not had a normal childhood, and thus took her reply in stride.

"Possibly, but ya have to think about this rationally," Izumi insisted, not about to let his companion become any more depressed than she already was. Finally, Rui looked up, confusion evident in her gaze.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what would they gain from killing him that would be worth the risk of going to jail?"

"..."

"Probably nothing. So a planned death's pretty much out a' the question, and as for it happening accidentally...your friend's not that weak, is he?"

"Of course not!" she exclaimed immediately, the life slowly beginning to return to her eyes as he rationalized away her fears. "Hiro's the strongest person I know!"

"Exactly," the boy nodded, a reassuring smile on his face. "So stop worrying about it. What ya need to do now is work on finding Hiro-san again, bringin' 'im home, and beatin' up the bastards who took 'im away in the first place."

"...Does it have to be in that exact order?" Rui questioned at length, a small smirk making its way onto her face. "Cause I'd kind of rather focus on the first and third parts now, _then_ start on the second."

"Whatever works, I guess," Izumi shrugged nonchalantly, secretly glad that she had at least returned to some semblance of her normal self. He had a feeling that she wouldn't be truly back to normal until Hiro was found, but at least this was a start.

The redhead jumped to her feet, filled with a powerful new determination. One hand was clenched firmly around her bat while the other curled into a fist, sharpened gaze already fixated on the direction that the car had left in. "I _will_ find them," she stated firmly, half to inform her new friend and half to assure herself of this fact. "And when I do, they're gonna wish they'd never even _heard_ of me."

"That's what I wanted to hear," he nodded in approval.

Rui turned to grin at him. As she did however, a thought seemed to occur to the girl that made her pause. When she finally did move to face him, her face held a slightly more pensive expression than before. "Hey...I'm really grateful for the help and all, but why do you care so much?" The question was posed out of pure curiosity, not any real feelings of distrust. Izumi recognized with this, so he answered honestly.

"I was walkin' around, tryin' to get to know the town better, and I see a person just collapse outside the park. She looks like she's about to cry. Then, she yells out somebody's name. Of course I stopped to see what was wrong. Anyone would." His companion nodded slowly, accepting the response as reasonable. His next words piqued her interest again, drawing her eyes up to meet his in puzzlement. "There's something that I'm kind of confused about here too. I know why I stopped, but...why did ya tell me about this whole thing so easily? No offense, but ya don't really look like the type to just trust anyone ya meet on the street."

It took a second for the words to sink in. Once they had however, Rui's face broke out into an amused smirk. She even snickered slightly before replying. "You are absolutely right: I don't trust just anyone. In fact, I could probably count the number of people I actually rely on for anything on one hand."

"But..." he prompted when she paused for a moment, drawing more stifled chuckles from the redhead.

"But anyone who can look me in the eyes after running into me and not be scared, whether they know who I am or not, is either incredibly stupid or very brave. I gave you the benefit of the doubt on that one."

"Um, thanks?" Izumi didn't really know how to respond .

"You're welcome," she smiled before looking away down the road. "Alright, time to start the hunt." There was a dark glint in her emerald eyes, and the other couldn't help but feel relieved that _he_ wasn't the object of Rui's 'hunt.' She truly was a frightening person, and he had to wonder just what she would do to those people from Kyoshin when she found them. For there was no doubt in the singer's mind that she would, and probably fairly fast too. The girl just seemed to exude confidence and power, and Izumi was honestly reconsidering his view of Retsu's earlier statement.

_Well, to give you clear picture, if we'd had her and Hiro last week, none of use would have had to do a thing._

The idea had seemed truly ridiculous back then, but after little more than ten minutes of knowing Rui, it had quickly started to become more plausible. And the boy hadn't even seen her fight yet.

"Scary," he mumbled quietly. Rui raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?"

Izumi, not even aware that he had spoken, started at the sudden question. His gaze darted around for the source before landing on the curious girl to his right. The sight was all it took to remind him that no, he did not have any reason to be on his guard. He'd simply drifted off during a conversation. His body relaxed from its defensive position at the thought, and his previously alert eyes returned back to their normal state.

"I'm sorry, did ya say something?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly in thought, but she just shook her head to the question. "Not really. It wasn't important." Her stare remained glued to him though, and it was making the singer uncomfortable.

"I-is something wrong?"

For a moment, she was silent. Izumi was just starting to think that Rui hadn't heard him when she replied with a distant, "No." Then, she blinked, and the spell was broken. The girl smiled at him, but there was something about the expression that set off alarm bells in his head. "Sorry about that, must have gotten lost in thought. Let's go."

"Oh. Alri-" He stopped suddenly, the full meaning of her words just then reaching him. "Wait a minute..._let's_? As in us? We? The two people standin' here at this very moment?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," her smile widened with each affirmation. "You _are _going to help me with this, aren't you?"

"I didn't-"

"After all, you're now involved in it. It's not like I was planning on going by myself."

She was crazy! The real reason why everyone was so scared of her was because she was actually clinically insane! Those were the thoughts running through Izumi's head at the moment, and yet the only thing he could get out was an accusatory, "You planned this."

"Nope," her eyes were sparkling with barely contained laughter. "Just decided on it now."

"But why-"

"You can fight," Rui declared happily. "I don't know where you learned or why, and honestly, I don't care. All I know is that you don't get those kinds of reflexes from being a rockstar, no matter how you might try to argue otherwise. And why not take good help when it's being offered?"

He was speechless. Utterly speechless. She'd manipulated him, completely sucked him into her pace and way of doing things without leaving any room for protest.

"You-"

"Come on, we don't have all day," she laughed, walking away. "_Let's_ go find Hiro, Raito-kun."

And the only thing he could come up with for a reply was: "It's Izumi."

~X~

"You're kidding me, right?"

Those were the first words out of his mouth when Izumi finished explaining the situation. Retsu felt his response was perfectly acceptable since it wasn't everyday that one of his friends came up to him asking for help in finding arguably the second most dangerous person in the surrounding area with the definite first standing right behind said friend. The boy knew his life was crazy, but this was kind of pushing it.

"You can't be serious." Apparently, he and Rui were on the same train of thought.

"What can _I _possibly do that would be of any help to her?" The boy motioned to the redhead standing behind the younger male, obviously indicating who he was talking about just in case it hadn't been clear enough in only word form.

"An excellent question!" she agreed, stare boring a hole in the singer's head. "How the hell is he going to help us get Hiro back?"

"Why are you guys coming to me? Those Kyoshin guys probably went back to their school, or at the very least their own town. I don't see why you can't just go there and ask for help. Or better idea, why not go to the police?" Retsu persisted when Izumi made no move to answer either of their questions. Instead, the boy seemed to be searching the classroom for something. Or someone.

This entire thing was ridiculous! He had been eating lunch with his friends just like he did everyday. Despite that morning's incident, the day had continued on in a fairly normal fashion, the only exception being that Mr. Tanaka was much more subdued that usual, but hey, Retsu wasn't complaining about that. What he _was_ complaining about was that ten minutes ago, the classroom door had flown open to admit Izumi and one very angry Edogawa girl, who had sharply ordered everyone who's name wasn't Akimura Retsu to get out. Needless to say, the command had been followed in no time flat, and the trio were soon alone. From there, the rockstar took over, explaining why they had come. What he failed to mention was just how the white haired teen was supposed to help them.

But back to his earlier question, it was Rui who answered, seeing as Izumi obviously wasn't paying enough attention to do so.

"I kind of feel like that last part doesn't deserve an answer as it was just completely ridiculous. 'Hello, police? Yeah, could you please rescue my friend who was kidnapped in a fight between us and another school because of a grudge they had against us from a previous fight? What? No, we couldn't have run away! That would have been bad for our image!'" She shot him a dry look.

"Alright, alright, I get it," Retsu held up his hands in a sign for surrender, while at the same time waving for her to continue with her tirade.

"Anyways, they also wouldn't have gone back to their school just yet. Probably not even their own town. Most gangs like that would rather keep a lower profile, especially when they're dealing with me. They know what I'll do when I find them again, so going back is pretty much out of the question. Think of it like this: it's like a little kid stealing the last cookie from the kitchen, the one they've been specifically told not to take, and then running up to their room leaving behind a trail of crumbs. Their room is the first place the mom will look when she finds out the cookie is gone. If she finds the kid with it, then that kid's in trouble, aren't they? So it would be smarter to hide somewhere else."

The boy was silent for a moment, thinking over her words. Finally, "Wouldn't the kid have already eaten the cookie by the time the mom found out?"

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Yeah, but..." she growled. "That's not the point!"

"I know, but still, is that seriously the best you can come up with? A_ cookie_?"

"Then what would you use?" she exclaimed hotly, glaring at the other. He shrugged in response.

"That doesn't really matter, now does it? _That's not the point_," Retsu spoke a few octaves higher for the last part in a clear imitation of Rui's earlier words.

"That is not what I sound like!" the girl cried, glaring daggers. "And besides, you're only saying that because you can't think of anything!"

"So what if I can't?" he challenged, meeting her glare with an equally strong one of his own. She rose from her seat beside him, slamming her hands down on his desk and bringing her face close to his. It was all the boy could do to keep eye contact. The casual bickering had distracted him from the fact that he was arguing with the scariest person in school, and with that realization, the fear that had ebbed away as they talked suddenly came back full force.

"Wrong answer," she snarled quietly, cold eyes narrowing farther. "Care to try again?"

There was a moment of tense silence where neither of them moved, both unwilling to look away. It was Izumi who finally broke their concentration with his sharp gasp. Retsu turned to face him to find the problem, and had barely enough time to register the green ball hurtling at his face before it rammed painfully into his nose with a loud smacking sound. But it wasn't done there. Somehow, the projectile managed to ricochet off his face into Rui's, drawing a pained cry out of her as well. Both teenager's fell back, Retsu tipping his chair into the desk directly behind him while the girl landed on her butt, massaging her forehead.

"What the hell was that!" they exclaimed at the same time, searching for the person responsible. As one, their eyes landed on the small child in the black suit, dribbling the green ball on the desk he was standing on. Retsu could only assume the ball was Leon in his transformed state. The infant was standing beside Izumi, who was glancing back and forth between the downed pair and Reborn worriedly.

"Reborn!" Retsu exclaimed angrily, his chair falling forward into its normal position with a clatter.

"Stop your useless bickering," the other ordered, meeting both of their eyes and completely ignoring his student's shout. "It won't get you anywhere."

"Who do you think you are!" Rui yelled, only to be silenced seconds later by the stern look Reborn gave her.

"This is Reborn," Izumi supplied nervously, trying to clear the tense atmosphere. "He's the real reason we're here." The boy gave Retsu an apologetic look, to which he only shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "Reborn's chameleon, Leon, can shape-shift, and I was thinkin' maybe it could turn into something that might be able to help us find Hiro."

"The chameleon can shape-shift?" she repeated incredulously, eyeing the ball in Reborn's hand. "I don't even see a- AH!"

The girl jumped back just as a large hammer landed exactly where she had been sitting only seconds ago, wide eyes fixed on the baby and, more specifically, the weapon in his hand that was quickly morphing back into a lizard-like shape.

"O-okay, I think I believe you now," Rui said shakily. "That, or this is the most weird-ass dream I've ever had."

She had to jump back for the second time to dodge the hammer that was once again aimed at her, this time landing more gracefully than last time.

"No swearing," was Reborn's simple answer to her questioning look. The redhead looked like she was about to yell out a reply when Retsu stepped in, not wanting to have his school destroyed over this.

"So can you help them or not?" he cut in before she could say anything that would put all of their health in peril.

"Leon can't." Rui's face fell, her hands clenching into fists at her sides at his words. "However...I can." From his pocket, the baby withdrew a small silver object that just barely fit into his hand. A thick, six inch chain led to a small diamond-shaped pendant at the end. The tip of said pendant was a miniscule black bulb, the kind of thing one would expect to give off light if a certain button was pressed. A circle in the center was hollowed out, with only a thin sheet of clear glass on each side.

Retsu was first to ask. "What's that?"

"One of the great scientist Giannini's most recent inventions," Reborn answered unhelpfully. When no one said anything, he sighed before elaborating. "It's a tracker."

"Really?" the redhead exclaimed, stepping forward eagerly. "How does it work?"

"Do you have any of Hiro's DNA on you?" She gave him a flat look. "Didn't think so. Well, the other way's a little more difficult. It requires a dying will flame."

"A what?"

The baby sighed again, motioning for her to come over. He placed the tracker in her hand, showing where to hold it (the end of the chain furthest from the pendant). That was the easy part.

"That flame thing-"

"Forget it," he cut her off. "Just envision your resolve. What do you want to do and why? It will do the rest."

"This makes no sense," Rui grumbled irritably, but did as she was told. The girl closed her eyes, picturing Hiro's face. They'd known each other for so long that she knew it by heart, and the task took no effort whatsoever. She replayed the day's events in her mind.

What did she want to do?

She saw Hiro being carried away, with her unable to do anything.

Rescue Hiro of course.

Why?

There were far too many reasons. Memories flashed by, whirling through her head almost too fast to catch. Each left a warm, tingling feeling behind before it was replaced by the next. Why rescue him? That was an easy one. Because he was her best friend. Because she needed him.

Because he was himself.

Rui felt a sharp tug on her right hand, the one holding the tracker, and opened her eyes to see it pointing towards the door. The once transparent hole in the center was lit up with a bright light that seemed to dance and shift like a flame. The girl turned to her companions with a grin.

"I did it!" she exclaimed happily. "Let's go!"

And with that, she was gone, sprinting out the door in the direction that the device in her hand pointed. Izumi hurried to follow, throwing a smile over his shoulder before he too disappeared out of the room. Retsu watched them go, unsure what to do, but was jolted out of his indecision by a painful kick to the head. He glared tiredly over his shoulder at the infant that was the cause of the stinging pain that was now there, too used to it to even complain anymore.

"What are you doing just standing around? Follow them."

"That's what I thought you'd say," the boy sighed, but ran after the two anyways. At the door, he saw the rest of the class, as well as a few teachers and students from different classes, waiting outside. He smiled resignedly at his friends before following the flash of orange he could just see at the end of the hallway. Mr. Tanaka yelled something after him, but he honestly couldn't care less. If Rui could get him out of Japanese, than maybe she wasn't so bad.

Reborn was strangely quiet, just standing on his student's shoulder like he always did. His mind, however, was going a mile a minute. The image of the tracking device in Rui's hand wouldn't leave him, nor would the color of the dying will flame that had flared to life within it.

Two picture flashed through the baby's mind at the same time. One: the orange flame that burned on Retsu's head each time he was hit by a dying will bullet. And two...

The flickering orange flame that he now knew belonged to Edogawa Rui.


	40. Game On

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. All rights belong to...whoever they belong to. Mostly Amano Akira, right? Anybody else feel like we've had this conversation before?**

**Hey guys! I can't decide how I feel about this chapter. It's not one of my favorites, and I hope I don't confuse anyone with the middle (you'll see what I mean). I'm sorry if I do, but I'm too tired to think of anything else to say about it so we'll just move on to reviews. As always, you know I love you guys. Thanks for taking the time to read/review. ^^**

**Reborn22: Yep, sky flame. When I created her, I couldn't decide between sky and cloud, but this works out better for the plot. Don't worry, it'll all sort itself out eventually. **

**dotYui: That is correct. I knew a lot of people would comment on that, but literally everyone who reviewed said something about Rui's flame. Not that most of the other stuff was important, but...you know. Glad you like the tracker. I don't think that's a big deal, as the enemies would probably be able to find him just fine without it too. I'm told teenagers with white hair and talking babies on their shoulders are rare. ^^**

**LilyMoonstone: There is always a possibility. Well, in my (and Retsu's) opinion, getting out of school is still getting out of school, even if the next class isn't that bad.**

**QueenofSpades99: Thanks, and I'm glad you liked it. I've had that invention in my head since, like, the beginning of the story, and I just had to use it. ^^**

**YuukiChan95: Yes, Rui's got a sky flame. Several people thought she'd be a cloud, but I have someone special for that. :p Thanks, and hope you like this chapter too!

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Our Sky

Chapter 40: Game On

Waking up had never been an especially painful process for him.

True, there were days where he didn't want to get out of bed, but the actual transition from sleep to wakefulness was, for the most part, easy. He was not like Rui, who he'd literally had to dump a bucket of ice water on at times just to bring the girl out of the world of dreams. Often, she would simply go back to sleep if only to spite him and his efforts to rouse her, so he had quickly dropped that habit.

But back to the situation at hand, Hiro could honestly say that he did not want to wake up right then. Sleep's hold on him was too strong, trying in vain to bring the boy back into its warm embrace. Some small part of his brain however was protesting, reminding him that he needed to get up now. Why it was so important, the teen wasn't quite sure, but it would probably be better to listen.

So reluctantly, he forced his tired brown eyes open just the slightest bit, for that same voice in his head telling him to wake up was also cautioning the boy against any sudden movements, once again for reasons unknown. Awareness slowly began to return, and the first thing he noticed was that his hands were tied behind his back. Why? This not knowing stuff was really starting to annoy him, especially since he was the one who was supposed to know everything.

Hiro wasn't one to panic: he never had been, and didn't see now as any time to start. Still, having no answers was starting to worry even him. He forced down the feeling, instead focusing on how he had ended up in his current situation.

He and Rui had gotten in another fight - not really a surprise - against...Kyoshin, right? Yeah, something like that. Regardless, someone had called him, and he'd thought that someone was Rui until he'd seen the _actual_ Rui in the crowd. By then it was too late though, and the impostor had already grabbed him. But then what?

...A tranquilizer. Whoever that girl had been, she'd given him a tranquilizer, and from there, he could only guess that they'd kidnapped him. It would be a waste of brainpower for him to try and figure out what their motives could possibly be, as there were just too many possibilities. He could be used as a way to get to Rui, and it wasn't like there weren't several people who held grudges against him as well.

Through slitted eyes, the boy scanned his surrounding cautiously in hopes of finding any useful bits of information or (even better) a way to escape. Nothing came up, though he was able to deduce that he had been taken to a forest somewhere. He was seated, back against a tree, on the edge of a small clearing. A large teenager with light brown hair was lounging on the grass a few feet away while a slight, redheaded girl kneeled beside, chattering on about something or other. Hiro could guess who the girl was, as even from this close distance she still kind of resembled his best friend, but the other boy was a stranger.

Both wore an orange band like that of their president on their upper arm, identifying the brunet as Treasurer and his companion as the Vice-President. Their leader was nowhere in sight, though Hiro couldn't imagine him being too far away.

Observing the pair quickly became boring, and, seeing that he wasn't going to get anything useful by feigning sleep, the teen decided that it was about time to officially 'wake up.' He yawned widely, eyes fluttering open as he pretended to only now notice his predicament. The boy made a show of searching the area frantically before his gaze finally landed on his companions. They looked mildly amused.

"You can drop the act," the larger chuckled. "We know you've been awake for the past few minutes."

Hiro immediately let his face fall back into its usual flat look, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips despite himself. "Can't blame a guy for trying," he shrugged.

"You're a very good actor," the redhead commented with a smile. "It was pure chance that we saw your eyes open a little at the beginning."

"_I_ saw them open," the Treasurer corrected. "You weren't paying attention."

Their captive rolled his eyes when the other stuck out her tongue in response. Apparently, appearance wasn't the only thing the older girl shared with Rui. The desire to always be right and the childish way they handled being wrong was also incredibly similar.

The thought of his partner-in-crime brought him back to reality though, and he sighed.

"What?" the Vice-President asked, noticing the action.

"Nothing," the boy replied blankly. "Just wondering why you guys felt the need to kidnap me."

"Straight to the point, huh?" the older brunet raised an eyebrow. "I can respect that."

"Stay on topic," the redhead chided, jabbing him in the side with her elbow before turning back to Hiro. "I'd tell you, but we honestly don't know. It was all Youji's idea."

"Youji?" he echoed questioningly, though he could pretty much guess who that was already. "Is he that President-guy?"

"Yup," the other male affirmed with a nod. "Our fearless leader who ran away the minute we dropped you off here."

"He did not run away!" his companion argued indignantly. "Youji had something else to take care of!"

"I'm sure he did. Like staying away from that scary-ass Edogawa girl."

"That's not why!"

"It's not like I'd blame him," the Treasurer shrugged, ignoring the last comment. "I'm not exactly keen on meeting her again anytime soon either. She's terrifying."

"S-she's not that bad," the girl said weakly, averting her gaze. "B-but anyways, you need to have more confidence in yourself!"

"I do have confidence in myself," the brunet stated blankly. "But I also have survival skills, and they're telling me to send him back where he came from and hope Edogawa-san doesn't hold grudges."

Hiro snorted. Yeah, Rui didn't hold grudges at all.

She took care of the people she was mad at far too fast for it to be considered a grudge.

"Something wrong?" the Vice-President asked, turning towards him.

"No, not really," he replied with a small smile. "But I was wondering...are you two by any chance related?"

For a moment, they only blinked in surprise. It was the girl who spoke first.

"Yeah, we are. But how did _you_ know that? We look nothing alike."

"It was mostly just this feeling I got," admitted Hiro with a shrug. "Also, you two kind of remind me of Rui and me."

"I wasn't aware that you were related," the other boy commented.

"We're not really..." he said quietly. "But we may as well be. She's almost more a sister to me than my real one."

Another minute of silence followed. "Wow..." the girl breathed eventually, a slight look of awe in her eyes. "That actually really sweet." Hiro blushed a little, to which she smiled before continuing. "But yeah, Senri and me are cousins," she chirped energetically. "Oh, I guess we forgot to introduce ourselves, which really isn't fair 'cause we know who you are. I'm Rika, and like I said, this is Senri."

Senri moved to bop her over the head. "Why don't you just give him our addresses and fingerprints while you're at it?"

"Meanie," the redhead muttered, puffing out her cheeks in a childish pout. "Just a first name isn't going to do anything."

"I beg to differ," their captive cut in smugly. "If you give me back my laptop, I could probably find out your addresses all by myself, along with your families, birth dates, and grades in school."

Rika's jaw dropped, and both boys would later swear they heard it hit the ground. "That's ridiculous!" she exclaimed, waving her arms animatedly. "You can not!"

"Can too. Want me to prove it?"

"Yes!" Grabbing his laptop from where it rested on the ground beside her, the older marched over and plopped it down in front of him with a challenging glare. When all she was met with was a flat look though, the expression quickly melted into one of curiosity. "What's wrong?"

"I kind of need my hands to type," he pointed out, raising the bound limbs slightly from their position behind him.

"Oh yeah..." she trailed off thoughtfully, a look of indecision on her face. The girl turned to her cousin for help, but he only shrugged unhelpfully. "I'm not supposed to untie you...but I really want to see how you do it..."

"Just go for it," Senri finally chimed in exasperatedly. "What's the worst thing that could happen?"

Rika still looked torn, but it was clear that one side definitely had the upper hand. After another moment, she shook her head, slapping her cheeks lightly to clear the confusion. "You're right!" she declared, moving to take Hiro's hands in her own and start untying the knots.

"Rika!"

The familiar voice echoed through the clearing, and the girl froze, body going rigid at the furious tone. Slowly, she turned towards the source, eyes wide as they landed on her leader. In fact, all three of the teenagers' attention was focused on him. So focused that they didn't notice the rustle of movement in the trees on the far side of the clearing, or hear the quiet yawn that followed shortly after.

"Y-Youji," she stammered, hands flying back to her sides as if they'd been burned. The blond was standing beside Senri, who also looked shocked, the rage all too apparent in his dark eyes.

"I go away for an hour, and what to do I come back to? You honestly trying to untie a boy who could probably knock both of you out and then run away!"

The quiet yawn from before tapered away into almost silent breathing as the clearing's yet-unknown fifth occupant sat up from where he had been leaning against the tree trunk, perched on a branch a good fifteen feet off the ground, to watch the scene below with a mixture of amusement and irritation.

_Damn_, Hiro swore internally, glaring at the older boy. He'd been so close! Admittedly, the other two were nice enough, and he had felt a bit bad about tricking them like that. Not bad enough to not do it, but still, his conscience hadn't been happy. But then their damn leader just had to come in and ruin everything! Now what was he supposed to do? If only looks really could kill!

"And you!" Youji continued, oblivious to the way the youngest person there was trying to kill him with a glare. "Why didn't you try and stop her?" he barked, this time directed at his Treasurer. Senri rolled his eyes.

"Why would I?" the brunet challenged, not the least bit fazed by his leader's anger. "I want as little to do with that psychotic girl as possible."

The boy in the tree smirked at the blunt reply, attention quickly switching to the main cause of his annoyance. After all, the loud blond had been the one to wake him up in the first place.

"You had no complaints when I proposed the plan in the first place!"

"Yes I did," Senri pointed out flatly. "I specifically remember saying that I wanted no part in all of this."

"Well you should have been louder about it."

The stranger rolled his eyes, watching the blond's actions with distaste. This entire thing was quickly growing old, and he were probably going to have to step in some time soon, if only to keep it interesting. His stormy blue-gray eyes flicked to the person who seemed to be the cause of all the fuss, a skinny brown haired boy with a blue cap on his head. What surprised him, however, were the boy's eyes. They weren't the eyes of a prisoner, or someone who had realized just what a hopeless situation they were in. No, determination and fire still glinted in the brown depths as the teenager calmly assessed the situation, most likely searching for a way to escape. A smirk made its way onto the person's face.

"You must be kidding me," the Treasurer growled, still oblivious to the person in the tree's presence.

"Senri, stop," Rika murmured warningly, making her way over. She laid a comforting hand on her cousin's shoulder in an attempt to calm him.

"Do you two even realize how close you came to ruining this whole thing?" Youji continued on, ignoring his subordinates anger. "We could have lost him, and then we would have had to go through the entire process again! What do you have to say for your-"

"Will you please shut up? Your voice is so horribly annoying."

The teenagers jumped at the sudden interruption and, more importantly, the unfamiliar voice that it had been said in. The President whipped around to face Hiro, the one he thought had spoken, but the other boy wasn't even looking at him. He was paying more attention to the figure in the trees that he could now make out across the clearing.

Their features were indiscernible through the shadows created by the leaves, and the voice had been too androgynous to reveal their gender. The only things that he could make out were black boots as they kicked back and forth under the branch the stranger was seated on.

"What-Who the hell are you?" the blond teenager yelled.

"Hm," the other hummed softly in thought. Hiro thought he could just make out a smirk on the person's face through the darkness, but it may have just been his eyes playing tricks on him. "In addition to being insufferably annoying, you're also quite rude. The girls must just be lining up to see you."

Youji blushed furiously, the comment only serving to infuriate him further. "Answer the question!"

"I don't want to."

"I don't give a damn! Who are you?"

"You're not a very good listener, are you?" the stranger sighed wearily. "I said I didn't want to answer, so I'm not going to. You're not the boss of me."

Senri and Rika could only watch as their leader was humiliated by this mysterious person, though they would be lying if they said they weren't fighting down the urge to laugh at some points. Hiro on the other hand made no efforts to hide his amusement, openly smirking throughout the entire exchange. Of course he was curious who the other was, and how long he - for the boy was assuming that the figure in the trees was male at this point - had been there, but that could wait for a few minutes.

"You-!" the President started, but was quickly cut off by the current bane of his existence.

"Ne, this is getting boring," the boy complained, crossing his legs and resting his hands on his knee. "Can we do something else now?"

"Are you stupid! I asked who the fuck you are, and we're sure as hell not doing anything else until you tell me!"

"Language," the other tsked, pointing at Hiro through a gap in the branches. "You have to be a good role model for people younger than you. Although..." he trailed off thoughtfully. "I guess you've already kind of messed that up, haven't you? But anyways, your idiocy aside, I've already said I'm not telling you who I am, and I meant that. Unless...Oh! I've got an idea! Why don't we play a little game for it? If you win, I'll tell you who I am."

"And what if you win?" Youji asked, trying not to sound as curious as he actually was.

It didn't work.

"Nothing much. You just have to leave here and let me go back to my nap, which is what I was doing until you came in and started yelling your head off. Sound good?"

"You were sleeping here?"

"Your rudeness knows no bounds!" the stranger exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "I don't question how you live your life. If you want to kidnap boys who are several years younger than you, feel free to do so."

The blond growled. "Shut up," he snarled. "Know what, I'll play your damn game. And when I win, I can't wait to pound your arrogant face in!"

"I don't remember that being part of the agreement. And everything you say just further proves my point that you're not a very intelligent person."

"Care to explain?" Youji gritted out, just barely controlling his anger.

"Of course." The strange boy was definitely smirking now. "A wise man once said that you should never agree to a game you don't even know the rules to. But you know what, I'm feeling generous today. If you can lay a hand on me within the next five minutes, you win. If you can't..."

He didn't need to finish.

"Sounds good," the President grinned wolfishly, cracking his knuckles.

"I don't like this," Rike whispered to her cousin, observing their leader worriedly.

"Me neither," Senri agreed. "It's too simple. There's gotta be a catch."

The stranger overheard their conversation, but decided not to comment on it. His smile widened fractionally, stormy eyes narrowing with dark amusement when they moved back to their new opponent. The blond looked as ready as he would ever be, so it was time to start.

"Game on."

~X~

"You're sure this thing works?" Retsu asked, staring up incredulously at where the tracker was pointing. They'd been running around Namimori for a good half hour, and he wanted to be sure they were in the right place so as to avoid any more of it.

"How the hell should I know?" Rui shrugged.

"It seems as likely as anywhere else in the town, I suppose," Izumi admitted, but his eyebrows were furrowed slightly as well in doubt.

"It works just fine," Reborn said exasperatedly, pointing ahead. "As long as your resolve was good, this should be where he is. So what if it's a shrine?"

"But it's not pointing towards the shrine," his student argued. "The tracker wants us to to go into the woods on the right side."

"So I guess that's where we'll go," the girl answered decisively, setting her foot down on the first step.

Namimori Shrine lay at the top of the hill, but first the four would have to ascend the ridiculously long flight of stairs that stretched out before them. The building used to be a very popular place, but in the last few months it had seen a mysterious decline in tourism. No one really knew why. Stories of a ghost haunting the shrine at night may have had something to do with it, but Retsu had never believed in ghosts. Then again, he hadn't believed in shape-shifting chameleons until recently either, but that was beside the point.

They continued on until about three-fourths of the way up, where the tracker suddenly swung to the right. "Guess this is where we get off," Izumi said, stepping down from the stone onto the dirt a foot below. Both the path up and the shrine itself were surrounded by a forest, which made the going from there on a bit more difficult. The device in Rui's hand kept pointing relatively straight ahead, but the trees in the group's way meant they sometimes had to take small detours to avoid getting stuck/running into anything. Of course, some of them were better at it then others.

"Watch out, there's a root stickin' up from the path here-"

"Ah!"

"Stupid Retsu. You don't have to trip over ever little thing in your path."

"It's not like I'm trying to!"

"Shut up!"

That same conversation was probably repeated seven times over the course of their hike, which was pretty pathetic considering the walk only took them about five minutes. The woods seemed to go on forever though, and he wasn't even aware they had stopped until he ran into Izumi's back.

"What's wrong?" the white haired teen asked, but the singer was speechless. Retsu couldn't get a very good view at exactly why that was because Rui was blocking the path in front.

"What's going on here?" he heard the redhead wonder in barely over a whisper. The words sent worried chills down his spine, and he quickly moved around Izumi to get a better look. He stopped dead, eyes going wide.

"Oh my... What happened?"


	41. Fire

**...I'm choosing to ignore that this chapter is so late and just move on. It was weird to write because I had to keep stopping to make sure it wasn't too confusing, which it (unfortunately) may still be. But anyways, thank you, as always, for your patience and support. I happen to be in an especially good mood right now because I got 10 new reviews, which is definitely a record! Thanks again, and I love you all. :D (BTW, for those of you who didn't review, you may want to scroll down some, as the responses ended up being rather long. -.- Sorry!)**

**Starlight Lone-Wolf: I'm happy that you like it. I never intended for Retsu to be Tsuna's son, even back in the planning stages, because I felt that was a little too overused and besides, this seemed like it'd be more fun. I hope that, if you stick with the story, you end up agreeing. ^^ As you may have seen from the next chapter, Kazuki's actually the sun, but it was a good guess. He could probably be either. **

**YuukiChan95: Sorry for the wait! Here's your new chapter, but for the cloud guardian, you're going to have to wait a little longer. :p And no, I don't have one yet...**

**QueenofSpades99: I appreciate the thought, and thank you. Wait no more! Yes, Retsu is quite clumsy, no? ^^ Sounds like me. :p And you and me both on the Rika-getting-tricked-into-releasing-the-prisoner thing.**

**dJhAmystery: I'm sorry for making you wait to find out. You'll find out what happens to our dear friend(?) Youji this chapter, so worry not. ^^**

**LilyMoonstone: Interesting idea, and it was taken into consideration. You'll just have to find out who the new kid is in the chapter. :)**

**second soul of a cat: Thank you very much. Rui...I have plans for her, but they are still a bit hazy at this point. Everyone seems to think tree-boy is the cloud guardian. And as for Amatsu...you'll just have to wait and see. *evil grin***

**Reborn22: I'm thinking I'm not going to destroy the president just yet, though it is an interesting idea, and will be remembered. Sorry I couldn't get this up faster, but it's here now. ^^**

**dotYui: It's a mystery, isn't it? What is your definition of updating soon? :p Because at this point, half of your town must be razed (blame Global for that word) to the ground by the rampage. Tree-boy is a good name for him, but he does have an actual one, as you already know. And yes! I was going for the Cheshire Cat kind of feel, so this makes me happy. ^^**

**dolphinherovamp5: Thank you for the review, and here's your new chapter! :D**

**Puffercat102: Thanks, and about the length... :p I don't know if that's called mastery or long-windedness, but the praise is appreciated none the less. ^^ Here's your new chapter, and sorry for the wait.**

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Our Sky

Chapter 41: Fire

"Game on."

The two words seemed to cut through the silence, echoing off the trees and making it seem as though the boy was in multiple places at once. Or maybe that was just Hiro, as the other three teenagers' attention was still entirely focused on the place where the stranger had last been spotted. Still, it almost seemed like the voice had come not from the side, as it should have, but more of directly in front of him.

Curious, the brunet turned away from the tree to investigate the area on the other side of the clearing. At first, it appeared as though his suspicions had been wrong, for there was no one to be seen. In fact, the brown eyed boy was about to look somewhere else, just in case of the off chance that he had misheard, when a small rustle of movement in the shadows caught his eye.

He started slightly when the same dark boots from before, the only part of the boy that had been visible through the leaves, stepped out from behind a tree a few yards opposite his, bringing with them the rest of the mysterious person. It took him only a few seconds to get over his shock though, and then he moved on to studying his companion. With the clearer view that the new location provided, Hiro was able to affirm his earlier suspicions: the stranger was indeed male.

...Or at least, he _probably_ was. Straight, shoulder-length silver hair framed a pale face which the others dark blue-gray eyes seemed to almost jump out of of. A small, mischievous smile seemed to be perpetually arranged on his lips. Black headphones were slung casually around his neck, matching much of the rest of his outfit. Black T-shirt, black fingerless gloves, even the skinny jeans that tucked into his boots were black. The only other color on him was the sleeveless navy jacket he wore that reached down to just below his knees.

In all honesty, the others features were no less androgynous than his voice had suggested, but there was something in the slant of his eyes and the shape of his torso that told Hiro he had not been wrong in his earlier assumption. As if he felt the brunet studying him, the teenager brought his eyes up quizzically from where they had previously been resting patronizingly on Youji. Their gazes locked, and the others expression shifted to one of surprise.

That didn't last long long however, as it was soon replaced by one of searching appraisal. A mixture of amusement and keen interest glittered in those stormy orbs, sending a unsettling chill up Hiro's spine. There was something cold and dead hidden behind that smiling mask, an apathetic yet startlingly pragmatic outlook on life, covered up by a thin layer of false optimism.

It was how he imagined an assassin's eyes would look.

The other, oblivious to his mildly disturbed thoughts, only brought a finger up to his smiling lips, the universal sign for silence. He offered a wink before using the other hand to point at where the Kyoshin Disciplinary Committee President was seemingly yelling at empty air. The genius raised an eyebrow when the blond swatted at the space above his head, as if he really believed the strange boy was still there.

And then realization hit him like a ton of bricks: Youji really _did_ think he was in the tree, and was now fighting with a figment of his imagination. The brunet didn't know how, and he wasn't entirely sure he even wanted to, but the silver haired male had somehow made it so that not only the President, but also Rika and Senri by the looks of it, were seeing...an illusion?

Hiro sent his companion an apprehensive look, but would be lying if he said that he wasn't intrigued by the situation. Of course he'd heard of illusions before, even kind of knew how they worked, but he'd never seen anything like this. It was both frightening and incredibly interesting at the same time.

A strangled cry broke the boy out of his thoughts, and his head shot up to stare, wide-eyed, at where Youji now seemed to be battling with the trees themselves. A branch was curled mercilessly about his neck, and seemed to be tightening if the way he was scrabbling helplessly at it was anything to go by. Several roots had shot out of the ground to wrap themselves around his arms and legs, preventing him from running away. His eyes were scared and desperate, silently reaching out to his subordinates for help. Speaking of which...

The brunet scanned the clearing for Rika and Senri, and nearly cried out when he found them encased in an enormous block of ice, hands reaching out towards their President in fear. The Treasurer hadn't even had a chance to fully stand up, appearing to have been in the process of doing so when the ice struck. Rika's right hand was clenched into a fist at her side, as if she had been preparing to jump in and save her friend from the 'game' before it was too late.

_This is not happening!_ Hiro yelled to himself, shutting his eyes in an attempt to block out the chilling images. _There's just no way. No matter how much Rui might have been bitching about it earlier, it isn't anywhere near cold enough for ice, and even if it was, it is just not possible for such a large block to form in such a short time. And trees _cannot _come to life like that, no matter what you do. _

_This_ is not_ real!_

With that thought foremost in his mind, he hesitantly blinked, gaze immediately darting to Rika and Senri. They were deathly still, only the faint rise and fall of their chests even showing that they were alive.

But the ice was gone.

The two weren't moving, alerting him to the fact that _they_ were still trapped in the illusion, even if he wasn't. Still, the knowledge that it could be broken managed to calm Hiro down enough to settle his thoughts and dispose of the previous panic, allowing him to look at the situation a bit more rationally. He wasn't quite sure that whatever the other boy was doing was even an illusion anymore, not some strange form of magic or something like that, but he'd have to work with what he had at the moment.

Out of the corner of his eye he could still see Youji fighting with nature, but when Hiro actually turned to observe it himself, the branch and roots disappeared. He could dwell on that later as well. What was most important at the moment were the soft footsteps padding towards him, completely unaffected by the chaos in the other part of the clearing. The brunet schooled his face into the coldest, most uncaring expression he could manage before bringing his eyes up to meet the silver-haired teenager's. He nearly shivered at the blatant amusement he found there, as if the other got some sort of sick enjoyment out of the choked-off cries that seemed to fill the area.

Which, in retrospect, was entirely possible.

"What do you want?" he bit out, refusing to allow his edginess to show. The boy's eyebrows shot up in surprise, his permanent smile widening minutely.

"You're not afraid of me? Even after seeing all that?" The other seemed genuinely curious, as if he couldn't fathom how such a thing was possible.

Hiro just barely resisted the urge to snort. "I see no reason to be scared. Apparently, you're not as terrifying as you'd like to believe."

For a minute, the illusionist was silent, a bit taken aback by the cool answer. Then, he stepped closer and squatted in front of the bound teenager, eyes alight with fascination.

"Interesting," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "You really weren't affected. I wonder..."

"I wasn't affected by what?" Hiro echoed, accidentally letting some of his uneasiness to slip into the words. The boy paid that no attention however, instead choosing to focus on something just behind him. He was about to ask what the hell the other was doing when a low rattle near his back caused him to freeze. Cool scales moved against the skin on his wrists, and Hiro suddenly realized just what the other male had done. Slowly, so as not to upset the animal, he turned his head enough to be able to see his wrists.

He had to bite back a cry at the rattlesnake that was now coiled there in place of the ropes from before.

_Calm down_, his more rational side demanded. _He's toying with you. That snake is not real, and you know it. Close your eyes, and when you open them again it'll be gone._

Following the same logic that every small child does when faced with a problem they don't want to deal with, the teen obeyed, shutting his eyes tightly and repeating that thought from before over and over.

_It's not real. It's not real. When I open my eyes, it will be gone because _that snake is not real!

"Oh, so _that's_ how you do it!" The gleeful exclamation brought him crashing back to reality, and his eyes snapped open to stare questioningly at the other, who took no notice of the searching look. "You must be quite smart then, and level-headed beyond belief," he continued on, not caring if Hiro was listening or not. "You are actually able to rationalize the illusions away with no training whatsoever. That's very impressive."

The praise fell on deaf ears, as the brunet understood basically nothing of what was being said. Seeing this only caused that infuriating smile to widen further.

"Still, there is a limit to everything." The boy held out his outstretched left hand so that it was directly in front of his captive companion's face, almost close enough to touch. "Watch closely, and maybe you'll learn something from all this."

"Wha-" Hiro was cut off by a small flame roaring to life above the hand, hovering a few inches away from the skin.

"How about you try and rationalize this one away too?"

He closed his eyes more out of reflex to the flame being so close than in a reaction to the challenge, but it was the desired effect none the less.

_What's he playing at? _the brunet wondered suspiciously. _There's no way he'd propose this just so that he could see it again. There's got to be some sort of catch. _Still, there was no harm in trying to rid the other of the fire, as it really was worrying him. The boy could practically feel the heat licking at his face, hear the crackling and popping of the flames, smell the smoke it was emitting. And yet, no matter what he tried, none of those things would go away. Their presence only magnified the realism, and before long Hiro found himself wondering if maybe the strange teen had a lighter or something with him that hadn't been visible before. That would certainly explain things, as the fire seemed more tangible by the second.

Worriedly, he cracked an eyelid open. The sight that greeted him had his head snapping up in a mix of alarm and fear.

Flames were roaring up the trees all around the clearing, the smoke rising to blot out the sun. The heat was merciless, as if it was really trying to make him melt. He felt like he was melting. Breathing was difficult, his lungs were on fire, and he couldn't seem to keep the acrid taste of the smoke out of his mouth. All around him, the sounds of the inferno blazing reached his ears, driving all thoughts out of his head except the need to escape.

And in the center of all this, surrounded by a mirage of heat, stood the mysterious boy, arms crossed over his chest, smile still intact, and looking for all the world like a demon surrounded by the fires of Hell itself.

"What's the matter?" Despite the heat, the question sent a cold shiver racing down Hiro's spine, chilling him to the bone. "You don't look so good."

Just like that, the flames were gone, taking with them the heat, smoke, and everything else. In their wake lay a ring of burned trees, surrounding the clearing in a silent reminder of what had almost happened, though the boy couldn't see himself forgetting it anytime soon. Or ever, for that matter.

In his peripherals, he could just make out the unconscious forms of Youji, Rika, and Senri, passed out on the ground where they had been standing. A small sigh of relief rushed past his lips when he saw they were all still breathing, but even that knowledge couldn't stop his body's trembling.

Shakily, he turned to face the cause of all this. The other male was still standing, but he was much closer this time. Hiro opened his mouth to say something, but found his lips were too dry, throat too scratchy. He swallowed a few times to clear the feeling before reaching out and weakly tapping the boy on the shin with his foot. The illusionist raised an eyebrow quizzically, to which he replied hoarsely, "There, I touched you. Now tell me who the hell you are."

And it was at that exact moment that Rui, Izumi, and Retsu first stepped into the clearing.

~X~

"Oh my... What happened?" Retsu breathed out in shock, eyes widening at the perfect ring of burned trees surrounding the clearing before him. The words were barely out of his mouth when Rui finally spotted her best friend.

"Hiro!" she yelled, sprinting forward. But she wasn't heading for the brunet. The girl was running top speed, bat raised, at the stranger hovering menacingly above him. Her vision was tinged red at the edges with fury, and there was nothing that would stop her from getting revenge on whoever had done this.

Well, almost nothing.

"Rui, stop!"

The words cut through her angry daze, pulling the redhead to an abrupt stop. She turned to stare questioningly at Hiro, the one who had been the cause of the outburst, startled by the sudden drop in his cool facade. He rarely, if ever, let it slip around anyone who wasn't her. Not even his own family. What had that silver-haired boy done?

Her rage was quickly returning at the thought, but she forced it down. Hiro must have stopped her for a reason, so she couldn't just ignore the command. Rui trusted his judgement too much to do that, and he did know more about the situation than she did at the moment.

"Calm down," the boy continued quietly in an attempt to soothe his friend. "This guy was just here at the wrong time. It's not his fault." _Or at least, the part that you're so mad about isn't._

She seemed loathe to obey, shooting the mysterious person a glare. He smiled in return, which only served to irritate her more. But Hiro could deal with an irritated Rui as long as she wasn't hurt. Maybe it was only him who had seen the slight narrowing in the stormy eyed boy's eyes, or the way his hand twitched slightly, no doubt to cast an illusion on her, but that didn't matter. After seeing what happened to Youji, the brunet wasn't about to let that happen to the redhead as well.

"If you're sure," Rui mumbled after a moment, walking over. By this time, Izumi and Retsu were already there, working at the knots on his wrists. After much hassle and confusion, they finally managed to get one free, and he declared that he could do the rest by himself. Which he did, in record time of course. From there, he alternated between rubbing circulation back into his wrists and trying to placate Rui, who was still very agitated by the situation. She wanted blood, and it would take all of Hiro's powers of persuasion to stop her.

"They're unconscious. You're not doing anything."

"Then when-"

"No, not when they wake up either. I was more than avenged, trust me." He shivered at the memory, but the girl wisely chose not to ask. Those questions would come later, when they were alone and he felt like talking. They had long ago promised never to force the other to talk if they didn't want to, and so far, that promise had held up through even the most difficult of situations.

Still, this time was different. Nothing even remotely like it had ever happened to them before, and Hiro wasn't quite sure how to breach the subject. He knew that he would find a way, and most likely sooner rather than later, but...

Even in his own head, it sounded absurd. He didn't even know how he was going to tell it without seeming absolutely insane. Rui wouldn't judge him, that he knew, but it didn't make the actual telling any easier.

At the moment, though, that could all wait. Hiro would put her most pertinent questions to rest immediately, and work out the rest as he went.

"You're absolutely sure you're alright?" Rui asked worriedly, taking in his distracted expression. "You seem really out of it."

"It's nothing," he assured, mentally kicking himself for being so obvious.

"But-"

"I'll be fine," the boy cut off her protests tiredly. "I just need some sleep." _And some time to get over this. I didn't realize I was so badly shaken up._

"...If you say so," she finally agreed, but it was reluctant.

"Who was that guy, anyway?" Izumi asked, quickly changing the subject to something he hoped was less awkward. Hiro eyed him curiously for a moment. Rui had a little story-telling to do as well. Why were Izumi Raito and Akimura Retsu running around town with her? He was fairly sure that his friend had never spared Akimura anything more than a cursory glare, and other than that incident in the hallway that morning - had it really only been that long? - she and Izumi had never even met. And was that a _baby_ on Akimura's shoulder?

How odd.

"Good question," he replied after finishing his analysis, turning to look at where the silver haired boy had been only moments ago.

He was gone.

"I know you're still there," Hiro called, earning himself a few questioning glances which he easily ignored. "You can't hide from me in the trees."

The soft answering chuckle made everyone except himself and possibly the baby jump in shock. "I can, and I will."

"Follow your own rules," he continued in annoyance. "Who are you?"

"You don't forget easily, do you?" The other sounded amused. "I don't believe I made that deal with you though. It was strictly between myself and President-kun over there."

Hiro growled, ignoring how lost his companions all looked. This had to be done. He was about to yell back a reply when the boy cut him off.

"Although, I did have fun today. And thanks to you, I finally got to see the other Vongola heir, so I suppose that is in order of a reward. And if all you ask is my name, then who am I to deny you that simple pleasure?"

He felt more than saw Akimura stiffen beside him, but decided to ignore the 'Vongola' part of the conversation. Hiro knew a little Italian thanks to his cousin who had spent a semester there five years ago, and he vaguely remembered the word. But he could of sworn that it meant 'clam'. What did clams have to do with anything?

"Whatever. Just tell me already so we can leave."

"You're no fun; too impatient," the stranger pouted, completely contradicting his earlier statement. "But alright, if you insist."

He dropped down from his seat in the same tree he had started at in favor of leaning on the trunk, that mischievous, 'I-know-something-you-don't' smile never leaving his face. Hiro thanked the heavens that this was probably their last meeting, as he wasn't sure just how much of that smile he could take.

"My name is Yue. You'd do well to remember that."

"Yue," Hiro repeated softly.

"That's correct," Yue confirmed cheerfully. "And now I must leave, as I am in dire need of sleep and I can see that this isn't a good spot for it."

The wind picked up suddenly, taking with it the first of the fallen leaves. As they watched, Yue began to dissipate into it too, parts of him disappearing bit by bit, as leaves, into the wind. A rush of movement from his side startled Hiro, and he turned to find Akimura on his feet, worry apparent on his pale features.

"Wait!" he cried. "How do you know about the Vongola?"

"I have my sources," the other boy replied with snicker. "I doubt this is the last we'll see of each other, little Vongola. 'Till then, good luck!"

The last part of him to disappear were his eyes, still twinkling with laughter. Something deeper burned in their stormy depths though, seeming to freeze everyone where they stood even after he was gone.

"Yue, huh?" Reborn murmured to himself, too quiet for anyone other than himself to hear. "What an interesting person."


	42. We're All Mad Here

**Long wait, could have been worse, let's move on! I feel like the chapters are coming more easily, which is good. Maybe I just dragged out the last arc too long, and lost my inspiration (a definite possibility). Anyways, on to responses! You know the spiel: love you all, thanks a million, please continue to review! Yeah, I'm lazy. Deal with it.**

**dJhAmystery: Yes, mysterious is a good word to describe Yue. And will continue to be even after I reveal more about him, because he's just awesome like that. ^^ I'm glad you like Hiro, and thank you. Hope you like the chapter!**

**YuukiChan95: Thanks. And you'll see... * insert evil laugh that seems totally out of place but I'm putting it in anyways***

**QueenofSpades99: That makes two of us, and thanks! Very subtle on that. And as for a connection... who really knows (other than me, of course). Yeah, Hiro needs more love. He and Rui are a team, and should both be appreciated.**

**Reborn22: Yes, there may be some similarities. Or a lot of them. Anyways, there is always future plot on the way. I'm big on foreshadowing.**

**LilyMoonstone: I never though that he was like Hibari, but I guess you're kind of right. Hm. ^^**

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Our Sky

Chapter 42: We're All Mad Here

"Is it really alright to just leave 'em here?" Izumi asked, cocking his head towards the prone forms of the Kyoshin Disciplinary Committee questioningly.

Rui momentarily halted in pulling Hiro to his feet, barely sparing the older teenagers a glance before shrugging her shoulders and resuming her work. The brunet's legs had fallen asleep due to being inactive for so long, thus making the task of standing a bit hard without some help.

"They'll live," the girl bit out, finally bringing him up with one massive haul. "Why're you so heavy?" she muttered absently under her breath, motioning towards the others flat stomach. "It's not like you're fat or anything."

"Pure muscle," Hiro replied with a small smirk, ruffling her hair. She slapped his hand away with a scowl, but it was half-hearted at best. "And in response to your question, I'm sure they'll be fine. Once they wake up, I imagine that they will just go back home."

"Lucky bastards got off easy," Rui growled, sending Youji a dark look. She started when a hand moved to cover her eyes, accompanied by a weary sigh.

"Just leave it, will you?" her friend chastised, towing her away to where Retsu and Izumi were standing on the outskirts of the clearing. His gaze flickered to the sun's low position in the sky for a second before returning to their companions. "It's late. Honestly, I just want to go home and sleep."

"But-"

"Rui..." he began warningly. She paused, stumbling a bit before realizing that he had no intention of letting go of her head or stopping until she agreed. The girl made a disgruntled noise in the back of her throat, but gave a sullen nod all the same.

"Fine."

"Good," Hiro released her with a smile. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

She stuck out her tongue at him, then crossed her arms over her chest and walked away towards the gap in the trees through which they had come. The boy rolled his eyes exasperatedly before following.

Restu watched the entire scene intently, not quite sure what to make of it. The Rui and Hiro he knew in school were a lot different from now, much colder and more intimidating. Although everyone knew how close they were, it was another thing entirely to actually _see_ them acting so open and comfortable around each other. They seemed almost...normal.

Then Rui appeared to remember something, as only seconds later she was turning around to glare at him harshly, and he immediately took back that thought. They would never be normal in any way, shape, or form. Maybe 'more like humans' would have been a better way to phrase it.

"I hope you realize that this doesn't change a damn thing," the redhead said icily, unwittingly interrupting his train of thought. At his clueless answering look, her eyes narrowed contemptuously. "If you're expecting me to suddenly start being nice to you in school or anything, you're wasting your time."

With that said, the redhead spun on her heel and sauntered away before he even had a chance to reply, not that he really knew how he was supposed to respond to that. Hiro gave the other boy a sympathetic look.

"That's just her way of saying thanks," he sighed tiredly, starting after his friend. "Don't let it get to you."

Retsu could only watch them go mutely, still stunned by Rui's sudden change in attitude. A low whistle from behind was what finally broke him out of his trance, and he turned to face Izumi with raised eyebrows.

"It's nothin'," the younger smiled in response to the others unsaid inquiry. "I was just thinkin'...that girl really is a piece a' work, isn't she?"

"She is certainly quite entertaining to watch," Reborn agreed benignly.

"Yeah, _entertaining_," his student muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "That's just what I was thinking."

~X~

"Well, _that_ was fun," Rui said as they exited the fast-food restaurant, each carrying a paper bag which held their dinner for the night. Hiro glanced at her quizzically, one hand already shuffling through the contents of the bag in search of something to eat. "Today in general," she clarified, neatly sidestepping the man rushing past.

Despite its small size, Namimori was surprisingly busy at night, filled with last minute shoppers and couples out on their dates. Of course, it was also usually home to two best friends who would much rather spend their time in the company of the other than their respective families. Tonight was no exception, and it saw the pair heading to a nearby park, eager to enjoy their meal in peace. Being out at night had never really bothered either of them, especially not when they were together. After all, what did they have to fear from the dark?

"I suppose fun is one way to put it," the brunet replied carefully as they passed through the gate, leaving the crowded streets in favor of the tranquil quiet of the park. The stars shone brightly overhead, and the moon's light guided them to a grassy hill with a wonderful view of the pond below, a familiar spot to them both.

"Ever get the feeling that we spend way too much of our time in parks?" Rui wondered offhandedly, plopping down on the soft ground with a '_thump_.'

"Hm," Hiro hummed drowsily, shrugging his shoulders before taking a seat beside her. "Maybe. But it's that or go to school. Or go home."

"True," she conceded, taking a bite of her burger. For a moment, they were content to simply eat in silence, letting the soothing atmosphere of the area envelope them. Eventually, however, the redhead couldn't wait any longer. She was dying to know just what had transpired back at the clearing that day between her companion and the mysterious Yue, and while she was certainly not going to force him to say anything, it was unlikely that Hiro would start on the subject without any prompting from her.

"So..." the girl started hesitantly, not quite sure how to begin. A blunt question seemed rude, but she honestly didn't know how to phrase it any differently. What had Hiro called rephrasing things so that they were more polite? Tact? Whatever it was, it obviously didn't come as easily to her as she would have hoped.

"You want to know what happened today?" He spared her a brief, wry glance before turning his gaze back to the pond. There was certainly something to be said about being so close to someone that a single word seemed to open up a door into their mind. What that something was, he wasn't quite sure, but that didn't really matter.

She blushed slightly, thankful for the cover of the darkness that allowed her face to remain, for the most part, unreadable. "Kind of," Rui mumbled, drawing her knees up to her chest in embarrassment. "If it's alright with you."

For a long moment, Hiro didn't respond. Finally, right when she was beginning to wonder if maybe he hadn't heard her, he replied quietly, "The thing is... I don't know how to even _begin_ to explain it to you without sounding completely insane."

The girl's eyebrows came together in thought, those expressive green eyes studying her friend with a mix of curiosity and worry. Her next words were pensive but firm, leaving no room for refusal. "...Then how about you start from the beginning, and just tell the story like it happened?"

He looked up in surprise at her calm answer, nonplussed.

"If it's really the truth, and it's coming from you, then I would have no reason not to believe you, right?" she asked, shooting a meaningful look his way.

The brunet opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it only seconds later, still speechless. Eventually though, once he thought he'd found enough of his voice to reply, he smiled softly, and answered, "I suppose you're right."

Rui grinned in triumph, shifting slightly so as to make herself more comfortable before turning her full attention back to him. "Ready," she announced cheerfully, beaming at the other. The boy shook his head in mock exasperation.

"Yes, your Highness."

And so he retold the days events, leaving nothing but the most unnecessary of details out. Hiro's expression softened as he told of Rika and Senri, about the girl's striking resemblance, both physically and mentally, to his attentive listener, and the two's antics as they argued about their 'fearless leader.' Rui could barely hold back a derisive snort when he came to Youji's appearance in the clearing, rolling her eyes as he recalled the others words. They shared a few laughs over the President's ridiculous behavior, and then came the part when Yue had made his presence known.

There, Hiro had paused, wondering over how best to phrase what was coming next. Thanks to Rui's gentle prodding however, he hadn't stayed quiet long, deciding to simply plow on and tell her exactly what had happened, just like she had suggested only moments ago.

"-And then you came along, and, well, you obviously can figure the rest out for yourself," he finished quickly, uncharacteristically rushing through the last words. The boy stopped to take a deep breath, hesitant to look at the redhead in fear of the possible rejection in her eyes. He didn't really know what he'd do if she didn't believe him.

Luckily, that wasn't something he had to worry about, as shown by the next words out of her mouth.

"That... That sounds amazing!" Rui exclaimed unexpectedly, eyes brightening at the very thought. "I wish I'd been there to see it!"

"_Amazing_?" the boy repeated, incredulous. "I assure you, it was nothing even close to that! You do realize that in our language, 'amazing' generally has positive connotations, correct?"

"What's a connotation?"

Silence met her question, a disbelieving look plastered to her friend's face. After a long moment, the teen shook his head in resignation, heaving a deep, long-suffering sigh. "You know what, never mind," he said wearily, rubbing at his temples to stave off the headache he felt coming on. "What I'm trying to say is that the entire experience is not something I'm eager to relive anytime soon. _You_ are welcome to go back to the shrine and find Yue-san, but I would be perfectly content with never seeing him again."

Even as the words left his mouth though, Hiro knew they were lies. True, he didn't want a repeat of today, but the illusions themselves intrigued him. He was curious by nature, and whatever the silver haired boy had done earlier, it had entranced him despite the fear that had come along with the inexplicable fascination. The brunet wanted to know more about them, _needed_ to know more, and wasn't going to stop looking until he had at least a basic grasp of the unbelievably realistic deceptions.

All of this, Rui could see with only a sidelong glance at her companion, but she chose not to comment. It was highly unlikely that Hiro himself hadn't recognized the fallacy if she could find it so easily, so there was no reason to say anything. Instead, the girl decided to steer the conversation back into more comfortable, openly-discussable ground. She laughed, drawing the other out of his thoughts. At his questioning stare, the redhead allowed herself an impish smile.

"Well, you've always been more... What's the word?" she stopped, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Rational?" he suggested dryly.

"Yeah, that's it! Boring!"

At his flat look, Rui raised her hands in surrender, a sheepish grin plastered to her face.

"Just kidding." Her expression softened, and she moved to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But seriously, don't worry about it. I don't think you're crazy or anything like that. In fact, when you look at it logically, your explanation actually makes a lot of sense."

"When you look at it logically, my explanation makes it sound like I'm crazy," he pointed out blandly, blowing a bubble with his gum and then popping it. She only shrugged in response.

"Maybe, but what fun's life without a little craziness? You remember that book we had to read in English last year? The only one I actually didn't mind that much?"

"Alice in Wonderland?"

"Yup."

"That was a weird book," he stated, raising an eyebrow. "But what about it?"

"Eh, I'm a weird person," Rui waved her hand dismissively before replying to the question. "Anyways, you know that quote from it that I really liked?"

"'Off with their heads?'"

"No, the other one! The Cat said it!"

There was a short pause before the boy replied quietly: "...'We're all mad here.'"

She flashed him a grin. "Correct. And you know what? We _are_ all mad here. Namimori's probably the strangest place on the planet."

"But that's what makes it interesting," Hiro supplied, smiling.

"Exactly!" she exclaimed happily. "That illusionist-guy today was just another weird person in our weird little town. Nothing's changed, not really. Just someone else to make this place worth staying in."

"Speaking of Yue-san and the Cheshire Cat..." the boy tapped a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "They're actually a lot alike, aren't they?"

"I was just thinking that!" Rui agreed enthusiastically, popping a french fry in her mouth before continuing. "I mean, they both have that creepy grin-"

"Can disappear at will-" he added.

"And they both live in a tree!" the girl finished with a laugh. "Now all he needs is a tail and a pair of whiskers and they'd practically be twins."

The two stayed up talking like that for a long time, trading ideas and thoughts - most of which they shared - before eventually agreeing that it was getting a little _too_ late, and that they should probably be getting home soon if they wanted to wake up in time for school tomorrow. Another strange thing to be added to the list for that day: for some unexplainable reason, they both wanted to go to school the next day.

As Hiro made his way home, he allowed his thoughts to wander back to their earlier conversation. The redhead had managed to put his uneasiness and fears to rest without even really having to try, and had accepted his explanation without a shadow of of a doubt. That, more than anything, was a testament to just how much trust she had in him.

The boy lifted his gaze up to the stars, smiling softly. Honestly, it wasn't that surprising that she was able to have that much of an effect.

After all, Rui was the one who knew him best.

~X~

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"Alright already, I'm coming!" Retsu cried, irritably stomping towards the door.

The insistent pounding finally trickled to a stop at the sound of his approach, though the boy could almost see the others hand wavering over the door. After all, there was only one person he knew who had so little patience that they do something like this.

For the past several minutes, loud knocks from the front door had rung incessantly through the house, growing both in volume and speed as time progressed. Retsu, who had been dozing off in front of the television, had been jerked awake by the noise. He hadn't really wanted to answer the door, being perfectly happy where he was, but knew that the annoying sound wouldn't go away until he did.

And that was the reason why he was now wrenching the door open, trying - and failing - to keep the annoyance off his face. The fist that looked to be in the process of beginning to knock again pulled to a rapid stop, barely inches away from his shoulder. The boy's scowl deepened, and he glared reproachfully at the unrepentant cause of the disturbance.

"Jun," Retsu began slowly, words as cold as ice. "It is eight o'clock at night. I realize that you probably have a good reason for coming over unannounced right now, but if you could please_ keep it down with the knocking_, I would be immensely grateful."

The sprinter simply treated him to a critical look, completely remorseless despite the others lecture, before offering, "Then you should have answered the door faster."

The smaller was about to reply with the scathing comment on the tip of his tongue when an appeasing voice from behind the black haired teen interrupted him.

"Come on, let's not fight," said Kazuki, stepping out into the open with a sheepish smile on his face. "You know how Jun gets sometimes."

"Excuse me?" The aforementioned boy's eyes narrowed warningly, and the blond held up his hands in a sign of surrender.

"Well it's true!"

"You must not value your life very mu-"

"But back to why you're here in the first place!" Retsu cut in hastily, expertly stopping the fight before it could even begin. "Was there something you needed to tell me, or did you guys just come to mooch food off of my family?"

"To tell you something," Jun answered at the same time as Kazuki happily exclaimed: "To mooch food!"

"Well then you can just leave now, because all of the food in this house is going towards Izumi-kun's and my recovery. Mostly mine."

Dai's voice floated over from the kitchen, carrying with it an obvious air of amusement. The sharp '_whack_' of a wooden spoon making contact with his head resounded through the house almost immediately after, causing the three teenagers to wince.

"Ow!"

"Be nice to your brother's friends." Mayumi's commanding tones had them all feeling a good deal of sympathy for the older male, but no one commented on it for fear of her anger turning towards himself.

Before long, the sound of the two's conversation lowered to such a level that it was no longer disturbing the boys, though an occasional exclamation or yelp of pain had each shooting a worried look in that direction at some point or another. Retsu opened the door further after a few moments of light conversation, stepping aside to allow his friends inside the house. They quickly moved away from the bright entryway, bare feet sliding across the wooden floors soothingly, instead choosing to retreat up to Retsu's room.

"So what's all this about?" the white haired boy asked, lazily flopping back on his bed. A quick scan of the room told him that Reborn was snoozing peacefully in the small hammock hung up in the far corner, eyes open but unseeing in that disconcerting habit of his. The area was decidedly neater than when the infant had first arrived, courtesy of his seemingly never-ending crusade to prepare Retsu for his potential (read: imminent) future as a mafia boss. 'A boss must always be ready for anything, and in order to do that, you need to be organized,' were the tiny hitman's exact words, and they had been followed by a sharp smack to the face.

"Well, we obviously want to know why you left school today with _Edogawa Rui-san_ of all people," Jun began, settling into the rolling chair that had previously been pushed neatly into the space made specifically for that purpose in his desk. "But first, I figure we should get the less important stuff out of the way."

The other sat up slightly, raising an eyebrow quizzically at his taller friend. "What do you mean?"

"It's actually kind of funny," Kazuki chirped, answering in place of the blue eyed teenager. "A couple minutes after you guys left, a limo pulled into the school."

"I'll give you three guesses as to who was in it," Jun added, lips pursed into a thin line. "Today was just full of surprises, wasn't it? But then again, I guess so have these past few months, haven't they?"

"Wait," Restu said slowly, still piecing together what he'd been told. "So you mean _he_'s back from India?"

"Seems like it," they replied at the same time, expressions ranging from pure contempt to eagerness. A short pause followed as he digested this, then:

"...I guess you're right," the boy smiled, a touch of ruefulness making its way into the expression. "We _have_ been getting an awful lot of surprises recently. Three people came back today. Rui-san, Hiro-san, and then..."

He relaxed, allowing his head to fall back on the comforter softly, gaze now trained on the ceiling in thought. The next words were quiet, as if he was testing them out for the first time.

"And then Nao-senpai."


	43. Distrust

**Finally, it's finished! I am actually pleased with this chapter, which is good considering I literally had to rewrite the beginning three times. And they were long rewrites. -.- But it's all good now, so please, enjoy!**

**YuukiChan95:**** You find out here! Hope you like him. ^^**

**dJhAmystery: Thank you. I agree with you on having too many characters introduced at the same time being annoying, so I try and space mine out a little. Plus, the plot revolves around them all being met one by one, so... yeah. :D**

**LilyMoonstone: I don't think he and Naito are very simple, but I'll let you decide that for yourself. ^^ They kind of do, don't they? Don't tell them though, they're in denial. **

**blackknight291:**** No, he is not. However, he will be showing up eventually. :)**

**QueenofSpades99:**** Agreed. And yes, of course he does! It's a storm thing. Nao is introduced in this chapter, hope you like him!**

**dotYui: You're fine. We all have those times of year where we just have no time. I'm glad you like the chapters though! I just had to put an Alice in Wonderland reference in. It's such an odd book, and what it KHR if not odd? ^^ Mooching food is fun! **

**Reborn22:**** Well, I hope you like Nao. Or at least find him interesting because he does become important later on. ^^**

**

* * *

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Our Sky

Chapter 43: Distrust

"Have a good day at school, Senritsu-san!"

The feminine voice rang out over the mansion grounds, halting the boy in question's progress towards the dark car parked at a nearby curb. He turned slowly, eyes searching his surroundings for the source of the greeting. Upon spotting the young woman waving at him from the gardens adjacent to his large home, the teenager's expression softened, and he made his way over with an effortless, languid grace that would have made any supermodel go green with envy.

The girl, on her part, could barely reign in her excitement. She was the newest addition to the housekeeping staff, and thus had yet to get over her infatuation with the 'young master.' The house, no, _mansion_ that she now worked in was beautiful, there was no denying that, what with its large windows, high ceilings, and expensive yet tasteful decor, and the gardens she was currently tending even more so, but the maid only had eyes for the handsome boy coming towards her.

And handsome he was. Wavy, dark brown hair fell gently around his face, bringing focus to his exotic features, deeply tanned skin, and golden eyes. He was naturally lithe and tall, muscles relatively small but strong due to his position on the track and field team in school. The brunet wore the Namimori High School uniform - the same one that was used in the Junior High - long sleeves rolled up casually to his elbows.

"You're new here, correct?" he asked politely, voice soothing and gentle. There was a certain warmth in his gaze that made the other feel both comforted and extremely nervous at the same time, if that was even possible.

"Y-yes," she stammered, fighting down the blush threatening to wash over her face. "How did you know?"

The girl mentally kicked herself; why did she have to ask that? He was just trying to be courteous, for goodness' sake!

"I only remember seeing you a few times around the house," he explained with a soft chuckle that almost made her want to melt. "I like to be familiar with everyone here, because it would be rude not to know the names of the people who work so hard to keep the house in order."

The smile that followed was so blindingly sweet that she couldn't even bring herself to respond at first. Finally, roughly snapping herself out of the daze by pinching her own palm, she nodded weakly, even managing a small answering grin. "That's very kind of you."

"If memory serves... your name is Anna, is it not?"

Her name had never sounded better than it did right then.

"Th-that's right," she mumbled, surprised. "But how-"

"I overheard one of the other housekeepers calling for you after I returned yesterday from school, and tried my best to commit it to memory," the boy supplied cheerfully. "After all, it is a lovely name for an even lovelier woman."

She could have died right then and there from embarrassment and bliss, and wouldn't have even cared. Pink ran rampant across her cheeks, as she had completely lost control of the furious blush at this point. A cool hand reached up to brush her forehead gently, tenderness apparent in those golden pools.

"Are you alright?" He sounded worried. "If you caught a cold, please, don't hesitate to go home. We wouldn't want it to get worse."

"No, I'm fine," Anna shook her head vehemently, refusing to meet his gaze for fear of fainting, or worse. "But you shouldn't be spending so much time speaking with me, Senritsu-san. You'll be late."

"Please, call me Nao-san," the teenager pleaded endearingly. "Senritsu-san makes me uncomfortable, and you _are_ older than me."

"I don't think-" A finger lightly tapped her lips, and she snapped her mouth closed instantly.

"Nao-san," he repeated, expression imploring.

She couldn't say no.

"I-if that is truly what you want," the young woman said hesitantly, whispering out the next words. "N-Nao-san."

Nao removed his finger with another dazzling smile. "Thank you very much!"

A car horn blared through the quiet, shattering the moment. The brunet's head whipped towards the source of the commotion, a flash of something akin to irritation flashing across his face. It was gone before the girl beside him could notice, and he brought a hand to the back of his head, rubbing it sheepishly.

"I'm sincerely sorry, but it seems that I must leave," he informed Anna regretfully. She nodded in understanding, black braid swishing with the movement.

"It's perfectly fine," she replied, fiercely battling down her disappointment. "In fact, I should be the one saying sorry. It was I who held you up."

"No, I-"

The horn sounded, causing the boy to cringe. With one last rueful look, he waved good-bye before tightening his grip on the bag slung over his thin shoulder and sprinting away. The maid watched him go forlornly, waving slowly even after he had rounded the corner, out of sight. Not that he was aware of that.

Nao reached the car in record time, quickly pulling the door open and hastening inside.

"I apologize for taking so long," he told the driver as he caught his breath. The older man shrugged, batting away the apology with a flippant wave of his hand.

"Don't worry about it. I just wanted to make sure you weren't late for your first full day back."

"Always looking out for me." The boy smiled weakly. "Thank you, as always."

"No problem!" his companion declared. "And now we should probably be off."

The brunet nodded in agreement, but the motion was lost on the driver as he turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life, quickly dying down to a quiet purr as the car sped away.

The moment the man's attention was diverted completely, Nao allowed his pleasant mask to drop. His shoulders slumped, legs crossing as he leaned back in the seat, cool eyes watching the world go by uncaringly.

What a boring way to begin the morning.

Had she really thought that he remembered her name? As if he cared. The stupid girl hadn't even realized that it was printed in bold letters on her personalized jacket, most likely due to some sports team she had been a part of in school. And could she have been anymore obvious about her attraction? Toying with her hadn't even been fun because of how ridiculously easy she had made it.

It seemed that every person he met could only see outward appearance, social status, and grades. They were apparently incapable of looking any deeper, realizing that he really didn't give a damn about what they were saying and he was only humoring them for his own amusement. It didn't matter who they were, humans were all the same: gullible, easy to manipulate, and shallow. A few polite words here, a kind smile there, and they would treat one as if he was royalty. Yet even as they practically worshipped him, every one of them had ulterior motives that they tried so hard to mask, yet that same effort was exactly what made them all so transparent.

A person's social status didn't change that, as he had discovered in his recent trip to India. It had been merely a political visit, a chance for his father to meet up with his siblings. Pleasant, right? But it went so much deeper than that. His father was the youngest of eight brothers and sisters, all of which were relatively young and healthy. The man had never stood a chance at being the heir.

Yes, Nao's grandfather was one of the richest men in the world, practically a king. However, _he_ would never have any chance of inheriting even a small portion of the old man's vast fortune, something which his cousins never failed to remind each other of. They were nice enough to his face, simpering and going on about how he was so _handsome_ and _smart_ and _they were _so_ jealous_.

Liars, each and every one of them.

His relatives had thought they were being so stealthy, whispering behind his back only to stop when he entered the room. But Nao had good hearing, and methods of getting information that pathetic fools like them could only dream about. And he had heard the snide words they muttered under their breath.

_What a pretentious brat. _

_He's not fooling anyone with that nice attitude of his!_

_...the bastard son of a disgraced man. I heard grandfather almost disowned his youngest son and then forced him to leave the country after he had an affair with some Japanese tourist only a few weeks before his wedding. And then the bitch went and died a few years ago, leaving him with alone with the kid!_

There had been more, but he hadn't bothered to remember it. What did their opinions matter to him? Besides, he had gotten his own form of revenge.

A small smirk crept onto his face at how he imagined their shocked faces must have looked once they realized what had happened. The best part was, they would never even suspect him. He would already have been safely home by the time they found out.

Almost disowned or not, Nao's father was still the rich old man's son, and had thus inherited a small amount of the fortune - a fairly sizable amount by most standards, but nothing in comparison with his older siblings - for appearances sake in the judgmental eyes of the public. That together with his successful career as the CEO of a renowned electronics company assured that he and Nao's lives were more than comfortable.

This was perfectly fine with the boy, as luxury had never been his biggest concern in life. His father, on the other hand...

Nao brutally cut off that train of thought before it could even start. It wasn't that he was bitter because the man had never even tried to connect with him, never bothered to check on his only son's progress in school or come to a track meet to see the teenager run. His job kept him very busy, and besides, resentment would imply that he actually cared what his father thought.

Which he didn't.

It wasn't that he disliked the older male. They simply shared no connection other than being biologically similar, and it was this that had caused Nao to take his deceased mother's surname instead. The less he was connected with the other half of the family, the better.

His school appeared through the window as the car turned the last corner, and he reached for the bag resting on the seat beside him. He opened the door on his own when the vehicle stopped, not bothering to wait for the driver to come around and do it for him.

"Have a nice day," the man called, a wide smile on his face. "You have after-school practice today, right?"

"That is correct," Nao replied, smiling mask back in place in the blink of an eye. It quickly turned to one of sheepish uncertainty at his next words. "We're training for the meet next week, so I think we'll be a little late today. Is that inconvenient? Because I can always try and leave a little early-"

"No, no, that's fine," the other shook his head good-naturedly. "I'll be waiting in the usual spot when you finish, alright?"

"Thank you," the boy bowed his head slightly before turning around and walking the rest of the way to the front entrance, throwing a wave over his shoulder as he went. He had barely stepped through the doors when a vaguely familiar blond girl greeted him with a sunny smile and a hug, almost knocking him off his feet.

The brunet allowed an embarrassed look to take over his face, giving her a cheerful 'hello' while at the same time politely trying to push her away. She relented quickly, then flashed him another warm smile and ran over to her friends. He waved good morning to them as well before heading off to his own shoe locker.

Who was that girl again? Eri from the grade above him, maybe? Whatever.

Not like it mattered anyway.

~X~

How Namimori Senior High School had burned down six months ago had always been a mystery.

It was the general consensus within the town that one of the strange earthquakes that came once every few years and seemed to hit only Namimori - none of the surrounding cities - had caused a beaker filled with explosive chemicals to fall from one of the shelves in a science classroom. Luckily, the quake had come around midnight, so no one had been in the school as it burned.

The students had to be taught somewhere, and so the Junior High School had been split into two parts. The divide was fairly even, but there were still complaints from the students about having to fit twice as many students as was intended into a single school. The rebuilding was already underway, but there was still an estimated year or so before its completion.

In some ways, it was more convenient for everybody: older students didn't have to leave behind their younger friends just yet, the underclassmen were given a chance to get to know the high school teachers, and the sports teams grew bigger. On the other hand though, no one liked being so crowded in, and more fights were prone to break out with a greater student body size. The high school delinquents were kept mostly in check by Rui and Hiro, a small blessing, but the two couldn't be everywhere at all times.

The administrators tried their best to keep the two groups, for the most part, separated, but there were always people who found a way around the system. Yuuka, for instance, would often come down from the high school section during her free period in order to check on her brother, and the teachers had no choice but to accept this because of _who_ her brother was.

The one part of the day where all the students were allowed to mix was the very beginning, when everyone was coming in and changing shoes. And it was this part of the day that Jun dreaded the most, for one reason and one reason alone.

"Good morning, Takahiro-kun," Nao greeted with a smile, casually walking up to him. The black haired boy tensed, giving him a guarded nod in response. The other either didn't notice the odd reaction or chose not to, as he only persisted with the one-sided conversation. "I'm sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, but the captain told me to remind all the sprinters that we were staying late today for practice."

"'Kay," Jun answered tersely. Kazuki, Yume, and Retsu were all giving him quizzical looks, but he wouldn't meet any of their eyes. "You better go remind everyone else then, Nao-senpai."

"Of course," the Indian boy agreed with a chuckle, nodding to each of the others friends. "Thanks for your time. Again, sorry for interrupting you."

As soon as he was out of hearing distance, the three teenagers descended on their blue eyed friend.

"Who was that?" Yume asked, eyes tracking the brunet through the crowd curiously.

"That was Senritsu Nao-senpai," he replied. "He's-"

"Why was he talking to you?" Kazuki cut in, green eyes confused.

"How about you let me finish, and then you'd find out," Jun snapped. "Anyways, I was _going_ to say that he's kind of like the captain for the sprinters. The track team's big, so there's a co-captain for each section, and then one main one who controls everything. Nao-senpai's our fastest runner, and a second year, so he was chosen as our captain. Reminding everyone of different practice times is his job - that's why he was over here. See, now he's over there talking to that first year."

"But he's been away in India for the past two weeks," Retsu commented, not bothering to turn to look in the direction the other was pointing towards. "Who was in charge then?"

"No one." Jun shrugged. "We can take care of ourselves."

"That doesn't tell us why you don't like him though," the white haired boy observed. "I mean, you're never that talkative, but you were downright hostile just now."

"He annoys me."

"Why?" This time, it was Kazuki who spoke. "You never had any problems with him before."

"I didn't know him before," the sprinter said irritably. "This season was the first time I've ever had any reason to talk to him. He's two years older than us after all, so being on the same sports team never came up."

"And now they're mixed together," Yume nodded in comprehension, having already learned about that in her first week in Namimori. "But I agree with Kazuki: why don't you like him? He seemed nice enough."

"I just don't trust him, okay?" Jun's eyes narrowed into a glare as he looked over to where Nao was smiling and chatting with another one of the sprinters. "Anyone who smiles that much is either hiding something or stupidly naive."

"What about me?" Kazuki frowned. "I smile a lot."

"Stupidly naive," his friend raised a hand to point at the blond. "Exhibit A."

"Hey!"

"Why isn't he talking to anyone else from our year?" Yume interrupted, eyebrows furrowing as she watched Nao take his leave down another hallway that branched out into the high school. "Did he take care of them before we got here?"

"No."

"Then why...?"

"There is no one else," the black haired teen replied calmly. "I'm the only junior high sprinter who made the team. Everyone else has to wait until next year."

"Eh? Really?"

"It's 'cause Jun's ridiculously fast!" Kazuki exclaimed happily, throwing an arm around the others shoulder affectionately. "He doesn't just run; he flies!"

"Shut up. I do not," Jun growled, pushing off the offending limb with an annoyed glare. "It's not all about your speed. They only take people who'll work hard to get better."

"I'm sure being their second fastest runner doesn't hurt though," Retsu added dryly. Seeing the taller student's mouth open to protest, he held up his hand in the universal sign for 'stop.' "Alright, alright, we're done. Now come on, we have to get to class."

The other boy still didn't look happy, but the bell rang at that moment, alerting them to the fact that the young boss was probably right. Heaving a defeated sigh, Jun followed his friends' lead down the hallway. Yume and Kazuki walked ahead, the girl patting the soccer player on the back comfortingly as he complained about his best friend's rudeness. This left Retsu and Jun in the back, sharing a companionable silence.

It was the violet eyed teen who finally broke the quiet.

"About Nao-senpai," he began uncertainly. The other nodded, showing that he'd heard, and he took this as a sign to continue. "Earlier, you said that anyone who smiled that much was either hiding something_ or_ naive. Why do you just assume he's hiding something? He seems trustworthy enough to me."

"_Kazuki_ is naive," the other replied with a shake of his head. "Nao-senpai is most definitely _not_."

"Why do you say that?"

Jun turned to him then, a cold look in his eyes that seemed to turn the blue orbs to ice. They had stopped at some point, completely oblivious to the fact that Yume and Kazuki had already entered the classroom ahead. His next words seemed to almost echo through the now-deserted hallway, sending a shiver down Retsu's spine.

"Because he never _truly_ smiles."

~X~

That night, people all over the world turned on the evening news to a shocking story.

_"Yesterday, the precious family heirloom of famous billionaire Laksh-san was found missing. It is believed that it was stolen from his house outside Delhi, where he had been vacationing with his extended family for the past two weeks. The police are already on the case, but leads are scarce. It's as if the thief has simply disappeared off the face of the Earth. The ring itself is priceless, made up of two intertwining gold bands with a large, high quality jade in the center. Laksh-san has offered a large reward for any information on its whereabouts..."_

That was all Retsu caught before Dai lost interest and changed the channel.

"Is that really what qualifies as news these days?" the older scoffed. He yelped when his brother's hand shot out to grab the remote before their mother even had a chance to respond.

"Hang on a sec," the boy said, returning to the news. "Laksh-san? Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Well, he _is_ one of the richest men in the world," Dai pointed out, still recovering from the sudden shock. "Odds are, you've heard his name somewhere before."

"No, that's not it."

"Don't you go to school with someone related to him?" Mayumi tried, eyes clouding over in thought. "What's his name again? Senritsu, right? Or something like that."

"Nao-senpai?" He sat up suddenly, expression alive with a mix of confusion and alarm. His gaze moved to the television thoughtfully, eyes now picking up the small resemblances between his upperclassman and the man now being shown on screen. "That makes sense. It's just weird, I guess."

"What's weird?" Dai questioned, raising an eyebrow at his brothers strange behavior. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not really," Retsu shook his head, slowly allowing his muscles to relax. He settled back into the blue living room couch before continuing: "But he got lucky, big time. I mean, he only came back a few days ago. Imagine how hard it would have been for him to get out of the country otherwise, being a relative and all."

Unseen by the rest of the family from his seat at Retsu's side, Reborn's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the words. His stare as well was firmly glued to the screen, and anyone who knew him well enough would have almost been able to see the gears turning within his head.

"Lucky, huh?" the infant murmured to himself, memorizing the image of the ring that had just shown up. "I think not."

~X~

Meanwhile, a few block down, Jun and his siblings, who were back from college for a few days due to his fathers birthday being the next day, were tuned in to the same channel. The boy very nearly choked on the soba noodles the three were sharing at the news, swallowing hard before coming up coughing. Mika, his sister, hurried to pat his back from her position next to him on the entertainment room floor.

"You alright, otouto?" his brother, Mamoru, asked worriedly from the other side, pushing the food away.

"Deep breaths," Mika added soothingly.

"I'm fine," Jun replied quickly, voice a bit coarser than usual due the recent coughing fit. "Really."

"What happened?" the young woman inquired, concern apparent in her large blue eyes, just a few shades darker than his own.

"Nothing much." The youngest shrugged off the odd chill that went down his spine as he watched the TV switch from a picture of an aging Indian man to that of a delicate, beautiful ring. A glittering green gem of some sort, probably jade, was the main focus, but that certainly took nothing away from the complex, twining design of the two gold bands that made up the main body. "I just go to school with that guy's grandson."

"What!" Mamoru's head shot up to stare at the screen in shock. "You're not serious."

"Yeah, actually, I am. He's two years ahead of me, and runs track. His name's Senritsu Nao."

"But that's a Japanese surname," Mika pointed out, confused.

"There were some weird circumstances with his birth," Jun supplied vaguely. "I'm not really sure what happened myself, but there was something about a conflict between his father and the rest of the family over Nao-senpai's mother. ...I think."

"Huh." The older male leaned back into his beanbag chair with a small smile. "It's a small world after all, isn't it? The grandson of Zaksh-san... Wow. Just wow."

A disturbed look passed over their sister's face for a moment. "Otouto... you aren't thinking that he's connected to this, are you?"

"Don't be silly," Mamoru chided. "The kid might be related, but he obviously lives here in Japan. How could he be a part of this?"

Jun chose to keep it to himself that the older boy had indeed returned from India only the other day. But it didn't matter, right? The ring had been found missing yesterday, according to the news. By then, Nao-senpai would already have been back home.

His own words from earlier echoed through his mind.

_Anyone who smiles that much is either hiding something or stupidly naive._

Nao was definitely hiding something. But it couldn't possibly be something as big as this, could it? Impossible. His mistrust of the other teenager had started long before the ring was stolen.

Still...

_It sounds ridiculous_, he thought, eyes narrowing calculatingly. _But there is something about this that doesn't sit right with me. Nao-senpai is almost definitely innocent._

_...But what if he's not?_

~X~

On the other side of town, the same broadcast played across the screen of the large, plasma screen TV hung up on the wall. However, the room's sole occupant paid it no heed, attention elsewhere. He sat precariously on a window frame, one leg planted firmly to the floor while the other was curled up to his chest. His arms rested on the knee, hands dangling carelessly off the sides. On one of the boy's tanned fingers, a small, glimmering metal band could just be made out in the half-light.

His golden eyes scanned the sky disinterestedly, the same smirk from earlier that day making its way onto his face. Briefly, his gaze strayed to the television in the far corner of the room, slender fingers playing absently with the intricate gold ring that now adorned his hand. The screen showed a clip of his grandfather fighting through a thick crowd of reporters, with his eldest son and daughter following close behind. The newscaster was saying something about how the man had refused to comment so far other than to offer a large reward for its safe return, but the brunet quickly lost interest.

With the simple press of a button, the boy killed the TV, relaxing back in his perch on the window sill. The ring really was a work of art, he observed offhandedly. The jade in the center was especially beautiful, although the simple design of the jewelry was a bit surprising to him given the ostentatious furnishings in the mansion where he and his father had been staying not even a full week ago. He had always pegged the billionaire as more of a if-you-have-wealth-show-it-off kind of person, and up until this point, he hadn't been disappointed. Then again, the appearance of the 'precious family heirloom' wasn't really the man's choice.

His older relatives' worried, strained expressions flashed across his thoughts for a brief moment, and Nao's smirk grew as he held the hand wearing the ring up to catch the light of the stars above.

Revenge was sweet.


	44. Wish Me Luck 1

**I'm starting to think of free time as a foreign concept. Is that bad? Regardless, I apologize that this is so late, and am just going to let you get right to the reading. This chapter's kind of weird, and I hope I don't confuse anyone too much. :p Enjoy!**

**QueenofSpades99: Glad you like him. ^^ He does become important, if that helps at all. I made up his siblings kind of on a whim, so I'm glad you found them cool. ^^**

**YuukiChan95: Read on to find out. Thanks, and I hope you like this chapter as well. **

**LilyMoonstone: Are you referring to Nao with that? ^^**

**Reborn22: Yes, very mysterious. Like everything else in this story. :p And you'll have to find out his part in the plot yourself.**

**dotYui: I think I told you, but I'm not positive. Whatever. -.- Yes, I like Nao a lot too, and think he's going to become one of my favorite characters to write. Yuuka is Hiro's sister. Kazuki's fun to write just cause I can be so random with him. Otouto means 'little brother' in Japanese. I don't know, I just like it. Glad you liked it. ^^

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Our Sky

Chapter 44: Wish Me Luck 1: Framed

Who knew that being a thief could be so boring?

This was the dominant thought in Yue's mind as he slipped through the dark corridors of the museum. After all, nothing was any fun if it was too easy. Though very helpful most of the time, there were some downsides - though not very many - to being an illusionist. One of these was, of course, people's tendency to distrust those who dabbled in the deceptive arts, even if that was to be expected. The very nature of an illusionist's power lay in tricks and lies, so really, genuinely _trusting_ one would be more of a stretch.

Another unfortunate consequence would be that illusions just made life so much easier. If one wanted something, they simply had to ask and it was practically theirs. People could be exceptionally generous when they didn't realize exactly what they were doing.

Still, Yue would never say that he regretted learning what he had. If not, would he ever have been able to be where he was now, invisible to the cameras and non-existant to the motion sensors in the floor? This really was as easy as walking through the front door - the keys to which he had pick-pocketed off the now-sleeping night guard - and taking his pick of the priceless objects on display.

But he wasn't interested in any of the rare, one of a kind paintings or ancient artifacts. No, for now at least, he was a man on a mission.

The silver haired boy padded noiselessly up to the second floor, easily bypassing the infrared beams zig-zagging across the entrance to the stairs on both floors. In a matter of moments, he was standing in front of the display that held his prize.

It was a very basic case, only a thin layer of glass separating the object inside from the outside world, but also deceptive in its simplicity.

_A bit like an illusionist_, Yue mused wryly, eyeing the container critically. As straightforward as it seemed, he knew all too well about the mess of tiny cameras, motion-detectors, infrared sensors, and a whole host of other things that lay concealed around it, complicating things unnecessarily.

Then again, hadn't he been wishing for a challenge? With a small smile, he surveyed the room around him for anything that could potentially be of use. A security camera was positioned in the far corner, the small red light below the lens blinking every now and again. To the device, he knew that he was invisible.

That could be changed.

Flexing his fingers once, the illusionist curled his hand into a fist, all the while wreathing himself in a coat of shadows, through which nothing but his basic form would be visible. Without any further hesitation, he punched forward with all the force he could muster, easily cracking the glass. Immediately, a loud alarm began to blare angrily. This only drew an amused smile from its cause, who pulled back and proceeded to hit the case again, this time successfully breaking through. His fingerless gloves, though fairly thin, protected his hand from the shower of glass that followed, not that he could be bothered with minor things like injuries.

The second his hand closed around the ring laying inside, he willed the ensuing surge of energy through the appendage, watching as a familiar indigo flame flared to life above the green stone. Though not technically his color stone, jades were known to be especially good at conducting flames, no matter what type, even if someone who possessed a lightning flame - which manifested as a crackling ball of green energy - would perhaps be able to harness the ring's power more efficiently.

Time seemed to stop, the alarm pausing in mid-ring, as soon as he called upon his flame. For a second, all was still. Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, the colors began to swirl, and a sudden breath of wind ruffled through his shoulder-length hair. He blinked involuntarily, and found himself in a completely different location altogether.

Quiet breathing filtered over from a lump in the large bed on the far side of the room, the only sound to break the silence. Moonlight shown through the window in one wall, illuminating the richly-colored carpet that occupied the bedroom floor. Reds and yellows played across the woven fabric, twisting together in complex shapes and patterns. The walls were some dark color, though the exact one was lost on him due to the blackness that swamped the rest of the space.

Beside the teenager was a plain wooden dresser, the top unadorned for the most part. A uniform was tossed carelessly over it, and Yue realized with no small amount of amusement that it was familiar to him. The white-haired boy from the other day had been wearing the same thing, which meant that the slumbering person a few feet away went to the same school, and was thus around his own age. Not only that, he lived in Namimori, something which made this entire situation so much more satisfying.

More importantly, a ring that could have been the twin to the one now clenched in his hand lay half-hidden by the uniform top, the barest hint of green made visible by the way it glinted in the half-light.

_So this is the mysterious thief who 'disappeared off the face of the Earth,'_ Yue turned to the form hidden in beneath the sheets, grinning despite himself. Curiosity at who this boy could be nagged at his thoughts, but he couldn't allow himself to be distracted. If the other was truly worthy of his interest, they would probably be meeting again, in person, fairly soon.

He spared a minute to look down at the jewelry in his hand, memorizing the twisting gold bands and bright gem in the center. It was amazing how normal humans weren't able to see the true worth of some things. Take these rings, for example, the entire reason for his coming to this town and hiding out in the forest near the local shrine. The pair had been created as the last works of a dying man centuries ago, a man who was intelligent enough to figure out how to channel life's energy into the precious stones imbedded in the ornaments.

They were priceless indeed, even more so than the general public would ever know. They worked as a pair, allowing whoever possessed one ring to, for a brief moment, use a dying will flame to communicate with the owner of its twin. Whether by sight or hearing was up to the user, but it was an intriguing piece of work, no doubt about that.

Yue had originally intended to collect both as quickly as possible, but he had never been one who was able to resist a good game. The moment he had first heard about this scandal in India, he knew he wouldn't be able to resist playing with the person who was the cause of such an uproar. Whoever this sleeping boy was, he had been able to steal the heirloom from right under a billionaire's nose, and would thus hopefully prove to be a worthwhile opponent.

With that in mind, he did nothing but watch as his form began to loose color and turn transparent. He had already recorded the lines and contours that made up the fingerprints littering the glass of the nearby window pane in his mind, and that was all he needed. The teenager spared one final glance at the motionless person slumbering on peacefully, oblivious to what was happening, before he completely disappeared.

The colors mixed yet again, and the rush of air returned. In an instant, he was back in the museum, alarm blaring full-power and lights still flashing. He quickly pressed his hand to the shattered case a few times, pressing the incriminating fingerprints into the glass.

Once this was done, escaping was child's play. Yue forced open the nearest window, setting yet another alarm off in the process, and climbed out. He landed on the ground below with a soft 'thump,' just in time to see the first police car lights coming around the corner. He willed himself to disappear, drawing and bending the light around him to fit the image of his surroundings. And then, he simply walked away, completely invisible to the men tumbling out of the car.

The boy smirked, toying with his new-found ring idly as he listened to the police chief bark orders to begin the search. It would, of course, all be in vain. By the time they realized this though, he would already be safe and sound in his tree. And as for the other boy, who he had so easily framed for the theft...

_Good luck, my friend. You're going to need it for this one._

~X~

In a small town like Namimori, news seemed to travel impossibly fast. If so much as one student saw something interesting on the news, at least half of the school would be going home the next day knowing the entire story: who was involved, where it took place, and the cause of whatever it was. So needless to say, when news of the missing ring was released to the public, the following day was far from peaceful for one Senritsu Nao.

"Senpai, has your family given you any news?"

"Did you even know that it happened, Nao-kun?"

"Have you ever seen the ring in person?"

"How's your dad taking all this?"

If he had five yen for every time he was asked any one of these questions, he would have been able to buy the ring off his grandfather before it was stolen. Then again, why waste money buying something like that when it could be taken so easily?

And the job _had_ been easy. Pathetically so, really, in comparison to how much publicity it was getting. A little water on the circuit board to temporarily scramble the security system, some perfectly executed acrobatics, and the cover of darkness was all it took. For such a rich man, one would think that Laksh would expend a little more effort in picking out a good security system. But no, and it wasn't like Nao was complaining. The less chance there was of getting caught, the better. It had just been so _simple_.

From the moment he had entered school grounds to the end of his last class, he had been bombarded with questions about this whole affair. Even now, as he and the other sprinters headed out to the track for practice, the interrogation didn't end. He could literally feel his smile slipping when a curious blond first-year approached, words already tumbling out of his mouth.

"So Nao-senpai, what did your grandfather say about-"

"Move, moron. You're in my way."

The sudden, icy words cut off the inquiry prematurely, and Nao couldn't help but send a relieved, thankful glance back to his savior. To his surprise, the speaker was the youngest member of their group, the black haired junior high student who was always so cold to him.

A very audible gasp could be heard from the surrounding runners, but the teen stood his ground, regarding the shocked first-year with something akin to boredom. His command seemed to take a moment to register, as it took a few seconds for the others expression to change from confused to outraged.

"What did you call me?" the blond demanded, drawing himself up to his full height. Though he probably only had an inch or so on the smaller boy, the first-year was stocky and muscled where the younger was built more like Nao, which would give him a clear advantage should a fight break out.

"What, are you deaf as well as stupid?" Jun snapped irritably, unfazed. "I said move your fat ass out of the way! We have a meet coming up soon, and if you want to actually do well in it, I'd suggest you run. If you're incapable of doing so, at the very least don't get in the way of those of us who _do_ want to get something accomplished today."

With that said, he moved forward, brushing by the irate blond and neatly dodging under the punch that was sent his way only seconds later. His assailant made to go after him, but was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. When met with the others questioning eyes, Nao shook his head with a placating look.

"Don't take it personally," the Indian boy shrugged. "He acts like that around everyone." Turning to address the rest of the group, he called: "You heard the man. Two laps for warm-up!"

Grudgingly, the crowd dissipated. With one last warning glance, Nao released his hold on the younger boy, making his way over to the track. He spotted Jun moving by, and fell into step beside him, ignoring the odd look he received for his efforts. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched his junior with amusement, taking in the tensed muscles and mildly annoyed expression.

_He really doesn't like me_, the boy observed. _I wonder why?_

The silence between them stretched out, bordering on awkward. Finally, Nao took pity on his very uncomfortable companion and spoke up.

"Thanks for coming in back there," he began truthfully, inclining his head with a disarming smile. "That's been going on all day. I appreciate that they care and all, but I don't know how much more I can take."

"I didn't do it for you," Jun replied coldly after a long moment of silence, gaze focused intently on anywhere but his companion's face. "They need all the practice they can get." A single blue eye strayed to take in Nao's leisured pace before snapping up to his face in cool disdain. "As do you. Did you run at all while you were in India?"

"There wasn't much time for it," the older admitted sheepishly, inwardly reveling in the others brutal honesty. Normally he didn't care for Jun's hostile demeanor, but after two weeks of nothing but false smiles and forced conversation, the unmasked animosity was like a breath of fresh air. At least the junior high student was open about his feelings. "Now that I think about it..._you_ haven't said about my grandfather's ring, have you? Not interested?"

"Not in the least." His confirmation was immediate and terse. "There are people dying in other parts of the world, and all anyone can talk about is how some guy in India had his ring stolen. Excuse me for not being able to bring myself to care."

The golden eyed boy raised an eyebrow, his respect for the other growing just a little. "Point taken. I actually have to say that I agree with you on that."

Jun sent him a searching, guarded look, as if trying to determine if he was being serious or not. Nao smiled, and that was all it took for the younger teenager's expression to darken.

"Whatever," the boy muttered, increasing his pace. The distance between the two increased steadily, as the second-year made no move to chase him. He'd gotten what he'd wanted out of this encounter, and could see that anything else would be pushing it.

A loud voice hailed him down from a little ways back, and Nao sighed inwardly before turning to greet the girl who was the source of the commotion.

_Oh well_, he thought in defeat as she approached, eyes flickering back to Jun's retreating form briefly. _The peace was nice while it lasted._

He had no idea how true those words were about to become.

~X~

"Jun: phone!" Mamoru barked in the general direction of his brother's room, hand moving to gently cover the receiver so as the spare the person on the other end of the call from the noise. The sprinter's hurried footsteps could be heard only seconds later, taking the broad, carpeted steps two at a time. He rounded the corner of the spiral staircase in record time, quickly descending and snatching the home phone from the others hand.

"Who is it?" Jun asked his sibling as he brought the device up to his ear, blue eyes questioning.

"Didn't say."

His eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion at the unhelpful response, but the boy turned his attention back to the phone nonetheless.

"Hello?" he inquired politely, running through an internal list of all the people he could possibly imagine calling at this time. It was a fairly short one. At seven-thirty at night, it wasn't really all that late, but most of the people who would ever need to get in touch with him via phone would have just called him on his cellphone, or better yet, say it to him in person at school or practice.

Practice.

Just the mention of it turned his thoughts back to earlier that day, or more specifically, Nao's absence at practice. For that matter, it didn't seem as though he'd come to school at all, if the information he had managed to gather from the whispered conversations going on throughout the workout was to be believed. Ordinarily, this wouldn't have bothered him in the least, as keeping tabs on the second-year's attendance at school was quite low on his priority list, but their lack of a leader had led to a very confusing practice for the sprinters, and if there was one thing Jun detested more than anything else, it was wasting time. He was an impatient person by nature, and the afternoon had irritated him to no end.

Of course, it was also odd that a student like Nao, who was well known for his sense of responsibility and intelligence, would miss a day of school so soon after such a long absence. For all of his dislike for the older boy, even Jun had to admit, grudgingly, that Nao had never missed a day until his trip to India. So why now?

Against the black haired teenager's will, his thoughts immediately flew to the conversation he had had with Nao only the day before yesterday, and then to the report of the missing ring he had seen a few days previously. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the second-year's sudden disappearance...

...Could it?

He cut that train of thought off before it could even really begin. False accusations would only lead to trouble in the future, especially ones without any sort of basis. Somehow, he couldn't see any court of law convicting a person just because they smiled too much to be trustworthy, and in school, it would simply be his word against Nao's. And Nao, being the ever popular, "perfect" boy that he was, would probably win.

His thoughts had gone completely off track from the list he'd started at, and all in the space of a few seconds. Jun managed to bring himself out back to reality in time to catch the caller's response.

"Oh good, you _are_ back from practice. I was worried for a minute there that you wouldn't be home yet." The familiar voice made the teenager freeze up, the breath catching in his throat for an instant.

"What...Nao-senpai?" he exclaimed. The words came out louder than he'd intended, drawing a raised eyebrow from Mamoru, who was by this time well down the hallway, probably on his way to the kitchen. When nothing else was said, the older simply shrugged and continued on his way, trusting his younger brother to sort things out on his own. Besides, he couldn't be bothered to actually go over and see what was going on.

"Surprised?" The Indian boy's tone was sheepish, but it held a definite undertone of sarcasm that did not escape Jun's notice. It was something he'd never heard in the others voice, and that puzzled him. It did not, however, take away his voice.

"Quite," he snapped, his annoyance clear. It was more of a default response than anything, but he honestly couldn't bring himself to feel guilty about his harshness with his senior. "Why are you calling?"

"Well...that's a bit of a difficult question. Actually, you might find the answer kind of funny."

"I doubt it. Please start explaining."

"Impatient as always. And before I begin, just remember that I said you might find it funny, not that it'd be what you want to hear."

_Wonderful_, Jun groused to himself, settling down in the chair beside the phone's dock to listen to Nao's story. His mouth dropped at the first sentence. By the end, he was speechless.

"...So yeah, I think you can see why I'm calling," the high schooler finished. A long moment of silence greeted him, during which Jun tried to process all that he'd just heard.

Not so surprisingly, the first words out of his mouth were less than pleasant in tone, and quite loud.

"You're _where_?"


	45. Wish Me Luck 2

**Disclaimer: Oh. Yeah. This thing. I don't own KHR or anything related to it. Except this story. It's mine.**

**Pretty quick update this time, which is nice. I just realized where this story is review-wise, and you know what would be an awesome Christmas/New Year's gift for me? If OS could reach 200 reviews by chapter 50. I don't know when that'll be out (obviously. Take a look at my updating schedule as of late :p) but now I really want that. That's like...5 reviews a chapter? 4? Whatever, it'd just make me really happy. So with that in mind, enjoy the chapter and please drop me a review! ^^**

**dotYui: Yes, yes, Yue is the boy in the tree. No, Izumi's the thunder guardian. Nao just has a jade ring (but that is important, so pay attention). Thank you, and I'm glad you liked the chapter. Your spider senses may just have been correct. ^^**

**QueenofSpades99: That's good. I'm glad you liked it, and hope you enjoy this one as much. **

**YuukiChan95: One of them may or may not be the mist, but no, they're not the same person. Nao and Yue are their own separate people. Sorry if that was confusing. :p**

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Our Sky

Chapter 45: Wish Me Luck 2: Actor

"You're _where_?"

Jun could practically see Nao on the other side of the call, head tilted slightly in mild exasperation. Behind the older boy, he could also picture the policeman that was inevitably standing only a few feet away, watching for any signs of suspicious behavior. He shuddered imperceptibly, the image only serving to fuel his disbelief.

"I thought I made that perfectly clear when I mentioned it the third time," Nao replied, voice even, much like how one would talk to a small child who didn't quite understand what they'd done wrong. "I'm in the Namimori police sta-"

"No, don't say it _again_," Jun snapped, shaking his head.

"You're contradicting yourself, Takahiro-kun."

The black haired teenager gritted his teeth. "Nao-senpai, this joke is in very poor taste."

"Under normal circumstances, I would most certainly agree with you on that. However..."

"You're not actually serious. ...Are you?" the boy asked hesitantly, picking up on the others resigned tone.

"Unfortunately, I am."

A long pause followed as the words sank in. Jun was speechless.

"Why are you calling me?" he finally managed, voice unusually soft.

"They said I got one phone call," was the others innocent, unhelpful response, sounding far too calm for someone in his position.

"That's not answering my question!" he growled, irritation rising as a sort of defense, something to take his mind off of his confusion. "Why the hell would you ever use it to call _me_?"

"Irrelevant."

"What-"

"Look, I can't exactly explain this to you right now; there_ is_ a time limit on this call. Just be at the police station in an hour, okay?"

"I'm not-" Jun started indignantly, but was yet again cut off by Nao's unrealistically cheerful voice.

"Whether or not you show up is your decision, but remember, my future is in your hands right now. I trust you'll make the right choice."

The boy could barely process what he was hearing. All he knew was he did _not_ want to roped into some sort of convoluted conspiracy theory - or whatever the hell this was - especially if the initial cause of the problem was Senritsu Nao. Unfortunately, only his tongue seemed to be operating properly at the moment, as his brain had sort of hit a blank spot.

"You conniving, manipulative-"

"Well, got to go! See you in an hour!"

The line went dead. Jun simply stared at the phone for a moment, shocked, until the dial tone began to blare insistently through the receiver. Annoying as the sound was, it brought him back to his senses effectively enough. The surprise quickly gave way to anger, and he slammed the device back into its holder, fuming silently. He was so tempted to just explode, to shout every curse word he knew into the empty hallway. At least it would make _him _feel better, even if there was no way Nao would ever hear them.

_Unless you go to meet him and scream every word in his face_, a small, mischievous part of his brain supplied. The boy squashed the stray thought unmercifully, hands clenching and unclenching uselessly at his sides.

He just barely managed to rein in the urge to yell, well aware that all it would accomplish was to bring Mamoru in from where he was peacefully watching television in the other room. The last thing Jun wanted to do was explain to his brother why he was swearing at nothing at the top of his lungs.

"I'm not going," he muttered to himself, casting the phone one last dirty look before storming off. "He's an idiot for thinking I would. I barely _know _the guy! Why would he ever assume that I would go out of my way, to the_ other side of town_ no less, on a school night, just to help his sorry ass? What does he even expect me to do anyways? He seems pretty damn guilty to me! No. I'm definitely not going!"

...So then why was he pulling on his shoes in the front entranceway?

"Jun?" Mika's voice stopped him as he was reaching for the door handle, and a sharp pang of guilt ran through his form. In his anger, he'd almost completely forgotten to tell his older siblings where he was going. Slowly, he turned to face her, refusing to meet the dark blue eyes now boring into him.

"Where are you going?" she asked, voice calm and stern. Her hands rested on her hips, gaze searching.

"Out," he replied lamely, inwardly wincing at the poor answer. It had sounded much better in his head. "I-I'm going to go see a friend from school."

"You're going to a friend's house _now_?" the young woman repeated, eyes narrowing.

_No._ "Yes," Jun lied, lips moving seemingly of their own accord.

She didn't look convinced. Her mouth was already opening to argue, probably say no, when a loud laugh from behind distracted her. A sharp chin came to rest on her head, and she jumped. Instinctively, Mika's elbow shot back, a move that would have caught anyone else in the stomach and caused them to double over in pain. Mamoru was, of course, the exception to that.

Quickly, the young man darted away, catching her arm as it approached and holding on. Then, as if he hadn't almost had the air knocked out of his body, he turned to face his younger brother with a bright smile.

"This about that that phone call just now?" he asked conversationally, eyes big and inquiring. Jun nodded, not quite trusting himself to speak.

Mika looked back and forth between them suspiciously, violently wrenching her elbow out of the others grip. "What phone ca-"

"I say you let him go. And because I'm two years older than you, my opinion automatically carries twice as much weight as yours," Mamoru cut her off with a shrug, flapping his hand dismissively at the younger boy. "'Sides, you're not his mom, Mika. Jun's a big boy; he can make his own decisions. I used to go out much later all the time when I was in junior high, remember?"

"Yeah, but that's you," she complained, shooting a glare in his direction. "_Jun's _actually a good kid."

The young man smirked at his brother, adding in a very visible eye roll for emphasis. "Whatever you say, ice queen," he said cheerfully, grabbing the young woman's arm and hauling her away. "Now come on - if you stand near the door too long, you might just start to melt."

"_What_ did you say!"

Jun was left alone in the entranceway, unsure of what he was supposed to do. When neither of his siblings returned, he shrugged resignedly and turned back to the door.

"Oh, and Jun?" Mamoru's voice floated over from where he was leaning against the kitchen door frame, carrying an unmistakable seriousness under the amusement. The sprinter stopped, but didn't move to look at him, already knowing what his brother was going to say. "Don't make me regret this, okay? You're a good kid, and I trust you, but I don't want to see you getting into any trouble, 'specially not when I'm the one who let you go out in the first place. Just...promise me you'll call if something comes up, alright?"

"...Alright." With a final nod of consent, Jun pulled open the door and stepped out. Thus, he missed Mamoru's worried look, and the hard set of Mika's mouth as she watched him disappear around the street corner from the kitchen window.

The oldest Takahiro sibling sighed as he reentered the room, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. "I trust him. Really, I do."

"But..." Mika prompted, crossing her legs and leaning back against the kitchen counter. He moved to stand beside her, hopping up on the counter just as he had done so many times when they were younger. Briefly, the young woman entertained the thought of scolding him, telling him to act his age and get down. But she didn't say a word.

"There's just something about this that bugs me," Mamoru admitted, kicking his long legs back and forth, blowing a stray piece of dark hair out of his face before continuing. "I don't even know what it is. I just feel kind of..."

"Apprehensive?" she offered. He shook his head.

"No. Unsure."

"So then why'd you let him go if its bothering you so much?" Mika challenged, blue eyes narrowing slightly as the other brought his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, burying his face in his knees.

"I don't know." The words came out slightly muffled, but comprehensible nonetheless. "I guess it's 'cause there are some things that people have to learn on their own, and I have this gut feeling that this is one of those times for Jun."

"Hm," she hummed in agreement, resting her head on his shoulder. "Same here. But he_ is _our little brother. It'd be weird if you weren't concerned about him sometimes."

Slowly, Mamoru raised his head to gaze at her, indigo eyes darkening further with consternation. Of all three of the siblings, his eyes were by far the darkest, bordering on navy and even black at times. However, this fact made them no less expressive.

_Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves_, Mika thought off-handedly, content to simply observe and wait for her brother to disclose his thoughts. _We keep ours in our eyes._

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of simply staring at each other, he lowered his gaze down to the floor before giving a single, almost imperceptible, nod. "Yeah. But that doesn't make the worry any less bearable."

With that, he returned his head to his knees. After a long moment of silence, Mika brought up her hand to rub circles on his back soothingly, never once moving her head from the comfort of his shoulder. No words were said, but they shared their anxiety. One thought prevailed in both minds, doing nothing to comfort the siblings.

_He's not coming back tonight, is he?_

~X~

Nao smiled as he leaned back to rest his head against the hard concrete wall, finding the cool surface much more comfortable than the thin mattress he was sitting on. The small cell had little to offer in the ways of comfort, so he had to make do with what he had. Lazily, he laced his fingers together and brought them up to cushion his skull further. _May as well relax while I wait_, he mused, closing his eyes.

His current plan had been hastily formulated when the detectives first showed up at his door, a quick conglomeration of ideas his shocked mind had put together into something that vaguely made sense. It had been smoothed out and perfected on the ride to the station, and by the time he was ushered into the room that held the telephone, he was confident that it would work. That is, if all the pieces behaved according to plan. He had been careful to leave room for error, but as it was, he felt his chances of success were favorable, and at the moment that was enough.

He figured that with all the formalities and procedures Jun would have to go through once he got to the station, he himself had roughly and hour and a half to kick back, rest, and make the finishing touches on his plan.

Nao's expression darkened at the memory of how he had landed himself here in the first place. Or rather, how someone else had managed to do so.

At exactly seven-eighteen that morning, a knock had sounded from the front door. Nao had just finished fixing his tie for school, and was about to go downstairs and make himself some breakfast before heading out. Being the only one home at that time – the house-keeping staff weren't scheduled to show up until seven-thirty, and his father was away on a business trip – the teenager had made his way downstairs to see which of the gardeners or cleaners had decided to come early that day.

It was, of course, a great surprise for him then to see two large men in suits standing in the entrance, practically blocking out the sun with their hulking mass.

His thoughts had immediately flown to his grandfather's ring, which was now safely hidden beneath a loose floorboard under his rug. He had found that particular flaw in the building shortly after he and his father had moved into the new house, when he was about seven, and had never bothered to tell the man because even at that age, he knew that such a thing could prove very useful in the future. Hopefully, it would do just that now.

"May I help you?" he had asked, tactfully keeping his face devoid of all emotions save for the expected confusion and surprise. When one of the men reached for something metallic at his belt, Nao's eyes narrowed the slightest bit. This had gone thankfully unnoticed by both of the detectives, as the other had been too busy sending his partner a reproachful look to see such a small detail. Still, the boy mentally berated himself for the slip-up as he waited for their attention to return to him.

"I apologize for disturbing you so early in the morning, young man," the smaller of the two, a man with close-cut black hair and intelligent brown eyes, said with a smile that Nao supposed was meant to be reassuring, but ended up looking more like a grimace.

_He doesn't want to be here_, the teenager observed coolly, politely keeping his silence. _This doesn't bode well._

"Well, you see…" the speaker continued, trailing off awkwardly before trying a different tactic. "Look, are either of your parents home?"

"No."

"No?" he parroted, uneasiness increasing visibly. "Um, if you wouldn't mind me asking why…"

"My father is away on a business trip," Nao replied truthfully. "He probably won't be back for a few days."

"I see," the man nodded. "That is unfortunate. And your mother?"

"She passed away when I was very young," the Indian boy said after a short pause, moving his gaze to his feet momentarily. "She has not returned home for quite a long time."

The detective shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to respond. "O-Oh. I apologize for asking."

"It's fine." Nao shook his head before looking back up and catching the others eyes with his own. He smiled. "Did you have something you wanted to discuss with my father?"

"Nothing that we couldn't just ask you," the second man, a giant with short brown hair, spoke up brusquely. "I'm Agent Uryu and this is my partner, Agent Okita," he continued, gesturing to the black haired male. "We work with the Namimori police. Would you mind if we came in and asked a few questions?"

Nao wasn't terribly surprised by this information, as he had guessed it for himself early on in the conversation, but allowed his eyes to widen nonetheless. "The police?" he repeated, hurriedly stepping back from the door. "O-of course you can."

He led them through the hallway to the sitting room on the left, finger clasping and unclasping in keeping with his nervous façade.

"Um, can I get you anything to drink?" he asked shakily once they were seated. Okita held up a placating hand, expression soft.

"We're fine. Please, calm down."

"Yeah," Uryu agreed gruffly. "Odds are, this has nothing to do with you."

Slowly, Nao lowered himself into an open chair, fingers supposedly moving to play unconsciously with the tassels on the seat. Much could be said about him, but no one would ever be able to claim that he was a bad actor.

"You said you had some questions?" he asked, voice timid.

"Indeed," Okita nodded, leaning forward in his seat. "For starters, could you please tell us where you were at, say, two o'clock in the morning the day before yesterday?"

"Asleep," he replied honestly, eyebrows rising curiously. If the situation had been different, he may have been tempted to add in a 'duh' on the end. Needless to say, that didn't seem appropriate at the moment. "Why?"

"We're the ones asking the questions here," Uryu interjected with a glare. Inwardly, Nao rolled his eyes. This was beginning to sound a lot like an old police movie. He was surprised they hadn't felt the need to show him their badges when he'd first opened the door. "When was the last time you were at the Namimori Museum?"

_The museum?_ He filed that particular bit of information away for later, putting a finger to his lips in thought. "Not recently. Maybe last year?"

"I see." Okita wrote something down on the notepad he had produced at some point earlier in the interrogation, scratching it down in pen before looking back up. "Have you heard anything about the recent break-in then?"

_Are they trying to do some sort of good cop, bad cop routine?_ Nao wondered dispassionately. _'Cause it's not really working._

"There was a break-in?" he asked out loud, for once not faking his curiosity. "No, I hadn't heard anything."

"They haven't released the news to the public yet," the smaller of the two detectives revealed. "I trust you've heard about the recent theft of Laksh-san's family ring though?"

"Of course he has, idiot," Uryu snapped. "That's his grandfather you're talking about."

_Something was stolen from the museum_, Nao inferred. _And whatever it was has some sort of connection to the ring._

"Yes, I did hear about that," he answered. "Though if you ask me, I'm still not entirely sure it was stolen. I think Grandfather might be jumping to conclusions, and he just misplaced it somewhere. But I might be wrong."

"That's interesting." Uryu's eyes narrowed. "You recently returned from a trip to India, right?"

"That's correct, though I didn't hear about the ring being missing before anyone else did. We came back a day or so before the news was released, and I was just as surprised as anyone else. He still had it when we left."

"And you have a way to confirm this?"

That question had caught him a bit off guard. "W-well no, I suppose not," Nao stammered, shifting in his seat. "I mean, I assume he still had it, as I could have sworn I saw him with it the night before my father and I returned home. Our plane left quite early in the morning, and Grandfather didn't come to see us off..."

"He didn't say good-bye to you?" At this new information, Okita quirked an eyebrow, mildly confused. "Odd."

"He and my father aren't exactly on the best of terms."

"And that's the last of our questions!" Uryu cut in hastily, eager to save his partner from any further embarrassment on the subject of Nao's family. He moved to stand, but was stopped by Okita's outstretched hand.

"I'm terribly sorry about this," the black haired detective said, pocketing the notebook and withdrawing a small brown box from the bag at his side. There was a strange light in his eyes, a sudden steeliness that certainly hadn't been there before. The first tendrils of unease began to curl in Nao's gut at the look he was receiving, but he held his ground admirably as Okita continued speaking. "We don't truly believe that you're the guilty party in the incident at the museum, but as part of procedure, we still need to confirm some things."

_Liar_. Nao's eyes narrowed as the man pulled the lid off the box, revealing a small pad of black ink, and beside it, a piece of unlined white paper.

"We just need to take a quick fingerprint for protocol's sake, and then we'll be out of your hair," Okita continued, but his reassurances fell on deaf ears. As the other spoke, the Indian boy's gaze flickered to Uryu, who was staring at his partner with something akin to disbelief.

_This is not standard procedure. Okita suspects something of me, even if Uryu doesn't._ He blinked when the ink pad was presented to him, mind racing. _I can't exactly refuse, as that would only place more suspicion on me. Realistically, I have nothing to fear from this. Whatever else I may have said, I wasn't lying when I told them I haven't been to the museum any time recently. However..._

His instincts clearly did not agree with what his mind was telling him. Mentally, he knew what was best. His body remained conflicted though, torn between natural instinct and logic. A soft clearing of the throat - courtesy of Uryu - broke the silence that had fallen over the room in the passing moments of indecision, and that was all it took to bring the teenager back to his senses.

Without further hesitation, he pressed the pad of his thumb into the ink, rolled it a few times, and then moved up to imprint the pattern on the paper above. After waiting a few seconds for the liquid to dry, he pulled back, face unreadable.

"Will that be all?" Unconsciously, a hint of coldness made it into the words, but Nao made no move to attempt to cover it up. He wanted these men out of his house. He was already late for school, and the longer they remained, the more anxious he felt. And if there was one thing Senritsu Nao was not comfortable with, it was being nervous. The feeling was foreign, and he didn't particularly like it.

"Yes, just one moment," Okita smiled agreeably. His partner withdrew a similar paper to the one inside the fingerprinting kit and held it up so that the two were adjacent. For a few agonizingly long moments, the two simply stood there, heads together, pouring over the pictures. As time dragged on, the tightening in Nao's gut only worsened. Surely if the prints had been different, the men wouldn't spend so much time looking them over.

What kind of criminal left fingerprints behind anyways? It was such a costly mistake, and so easily traceable. How careless must the thief - for at this point, he was almost positive why the person had broken in, and what had occurred - have been to leave something so obvious behind?

Or, he realized with a sinking feeling as the detectives slowly raised their eyes to meet his, maybe the person had been more cunning than he realized. Perhaps they had been so careful that they had, in fact, planted false fingerprints. False fingerprints that seemed to resemble his quite a lot, if his current situation was any indication.

_But how could they possibly have gotten ahold of my fingerprints? _he had wondered, the cold looks on Okita and Uryu's faces all he needed to ascertain their thoughts. _And even if they did somehow manage that, why me?_

"Young man, I'm sorry," Okita began solemnly, all prior friendliness gone. "But I think you need to come back to the station with us."

~X~

The sharp '_slam_' of the door meeting the concrete cell wall broke the boy out of his reverie, rousing him from his comfortable, almost dozing state and back into present time.

_An hour and a half already, huh?_ he thought wryly, already swinging his legs down to meet the floor below the small bunk. The police officer who had come to fetch him kept his face unreadable, only beckoning his charge forward with a wave of his hand. Leisurely, Nao walked over to meet him, not sparing another glance for the dank little room.

He didn't plan on returning any time soon. Or ever, for that matter.

"Someone to see me?" he asked his guide, not expecting an answer. He wasn't disappointed.

The man led him through a surprisingly complex network of hallways, the walls of which were almost all lined with the same gray steel doors as the one that had been present outside Nao's own cell. Through the small window in the very top, the teenager was occasionally able to discern a shadowy figure, but more often than not the rooms were empty.

Finally, they came to a halt in front of a door similar to all the rest, with the single exception of the window being absent in this one. He was almost able to hear voices through the thick metal surface, but couldn't quite catch what was being said.

Inside, Jun was waiting for him, no doubt angry and upset about the sudden call, but curious nonetheless. Not to mention the younger boy was far too good of a person to just a leave a classmate in need by themselves, especially not when a specific favor had been requested of him. Nao was positive that he would find a way to persuade his junior to assist him in his plan.

He would escape from the station, and from there, find a way to unravel the mysteries that now surrounded this case. Nobody got away unscathed after framing him, and he was going to make sure that this punishment was particularly harsh. He had not found this little experience pleasant in the slightest, and was already planning out a way to make the person to blame suffer for it.

_I will find whoever is responsible for this_, Nao swore to himself, clenching a fist as the door was pushed open. _And when I do..._

_...I'm going to make them regret the moment they first heard my name._


	46. Wish Me Luck 3

**Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it! ^^ I worked my ass off to get this out before Christmas, so I hope you enjoy it. Surprisingly, I don't hate this chapter, so...yeah. Enjoy!**

**dotYui:**** Ooh, a long review. ^^ *cracks knuckles* He was in the story a few chapters ago. Like...4 chapters ago or something. Anyways, yeah, that's kind of what I was going for with that line. ...Going to ignore that part about the 'roped' thing. Yes, Mamoru is Jun's older brother. The thing with the eyes is just that all three siblings have very expressive eyes. I don't know, it was a play on words thing that I tried, except it didn't exactly work out. :p We'll get to the metal detector thing eventually. ^^ **

**YuukiChan95:**** Wait no longer! Yes, they are different people. As for a connection...you'll see. ^^**

**Anonymous1:**** I'm glad you like it. ^^ Jun's siblings are cool characters, though I don't know how often they'll show up. Detectives are cool. Hope you like this chapter as well!**

**QueenofSpades99:**** Oh, he's not that scary. ...Moving on though! Glad you liked them. ^^

* * *

**

Our Sky

Chapter 46: Wish Me Luck 3: Pursuit

The room he was ushered into was much like the rest of the police station: cold, uninviting, and gray. The walls and floor were entirely concrete, and there were no windows. A single steel table sat in the center, with two plastic chairs positioned on opposing sides. One of them was empty, presumably for him.

Jun sat in the other, looking decidedly less than pleased to be there. He looked up in surprise when the door was opened, but the confusion was quickly replaced by a scowl upon seeing who stood in the entrance. Still, to the boy's credit, he remained silent as Nao made his way over and took a seat in the vacant chair.

No sooner had he settled down did the door swing closed, the soft click resounding through the quiet room like a gunshot. And then Jun dropped the cool mask.

The younger boy stood, slamming his hands down onto the table in front of Nao and leaning in slightly, angry sparks snapping in his blue eyes.

"Why the hell am I here?"

For a moment, the Indian teenager was still, content to simply sit and observe his companion. The tension in the room seemed to increase with each passing moment, up until the point where it was practically tangible. Only then did Nao allow a small smile to spread across his face. There was no warmth to it, no kindness or amusement. Indeed, the expression was chilling, and it sent an apprehensive shiver down Jun's spine.

"I would assume that you are here to see me," the older offered, voice mocking. "However, I suppose there is a chance that I am mistaken in that thinking. If there was some other prisoner you needed to speak with, I would be happy to leave and have him or her called in."

Jun was speechless. At his silence, Nao's smirk only widened.

"That's what I thought. Now if you would be so kind as to sit, we can talk this over like civilized people."

A long pause followed this, during which Jun appeared to be wavering between doing as was suggested and staying on his feet. But finally, the blue eyed sprinter sighed heavily, flopping back into his seat with a glare.

"There. Happy?" he spat.

"Relatively so," Nao replied evenly, aware that the question was meant to be rhetorical.

"Then start explaining."

"...You know, you really should do something about that attitude of yours," the older suggested conversationally, moving to pick imaginary lint off the sleeve of his shirt. "I mean, you're not going to get very far in life if you're always demanding things of others so rudely."

"I don't have to be here!" Jun snapped, rising out of his chair. Nao watched him coldly, waiting until the other was well on his way to the door before speaking up again.

"I was framed, and you know it."

The black haired teenager froze, hand halfway to the door handle. For a long moment he remained that way, and the room was silent. Then, ever so slowly, still not saying a word, he turned to face the high school student, a guarded look on his face.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said," Nao responded, expression unreadable. "I didn't do it."

The tension between them went up another notch.

"Why would you ever assume that I don't believe you're as guilty as everyone else seems to think?" Jun asked, mouth set firmly in a grim line. "All of the evidence indicates that you're responsible for this."

A short pause followed the inquiry as the golden eyed boy chose how best to word his answer.

"Because you know I wouldn't make such a mistake," Nao finally replied with a cool smirk. "You don't like me. I know that, and am perfectly fine with it. However, I also know that for all of your distrust of me, you realize that if I truly wanted to steal something from that museum, no one would have been able to stop me. I would never have made the mistake of leaving behind something so obvious as fingerprints. I would have covered my tracks perfectly, and then sat back and laughed as the police ran around like chickens with their heads cut off as they tried in vain to find the thief. In short, I'm simply far too careful to let myself get caught."

He took Jun's stunned silence as a sign to continue.

"Admit it: you know I didn't do it. That's why you're here, and why you're going to help me get out of this."

"I didn't say-"

"But you know you will."

Silence. Jun weighed his options carefully, taking into account all that he now knew as well as his feelings for the older student.

"I am _so _going to regret this," he muttered to himself before stomping back to his chair, wrenching it violently away from where it was pushed into the table, and taking a seat.

"I knew you'd see things my way," Nao revealed cheerfully. Jun's scowl deepened.

"I dislike you with great intensity."

"Duly noted."

"..."

"..."

"...Whatever," he huffed irreverently, leaning back in his seat. "Anyway, let's assume that I decide I want to help you, which – by the way – I haven't. What help could the great Senritsu Nao possibly need from a lowly commoner like myself?"

"Nice speech."

"I thought so."

"As difficult as I'm sure this is for you to believe, I can't get out of this particular situation by myself. I'm going to need your help."

"Why don't you just call your dad and have him bail you out? I'm sure he's got enough money to cover this up before it reaches the news."

The question caught Nao off guard, though perhaps not for the reason most would expect. He _had_ actually thought of that on the way to the police station, but quickly discarded the idea, partly out of the need to take his revenge personally, but also because of pride. He'd long ago sworn not to rely on his family's considerable wealth to solve his problems, and wasn't planning to start now. There were very few things that he would go to his father for help with, and this was most certainly not one of them. But the fact that Jun would actually be so bold to bring it up; now _that _was a bit surprising.

"I neither need nor want his help. I _can_ take care of myself, thank you very much," Nao said, a hint of petulance unconsciously making its way into his voice.

"Excuse me, could you repeat that? I don't think I caught it over the sound of you potentially going to jail." It was Jun's turn to smirk this time.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a bit of an insufferable smart ass?" Nao asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"It may have come up at some point or another in casual conversation."

"A shocker, I assure you. Moving on though, I think that at this point we've covered everything that is immediately vital to the success of this mission, so I'd say it's about time to put my plan into motion."

"What are you-"

Quickly, Nao sat up and leaned across the table. He cupped a hand around his mouth and whispered a few short words into his younger companion's ear before Jun had the chance to recoil back.

"_Be at the Namimori Shrine in two hours_."

~X~

"I don't like this."

Uryu's words were quiet so as not to disturb anyone else in the large main room, but they easily carried over to his partner on the other side of their shared desk. Okita had been memorizing the details of their newest case, but he reluctantly returned the papers to their proper place on the wooden surface at the others admission. Deciding to humor his companion, he put on his best 'interested' expression and looked up.

"And what exactly is it that is so displeasing to you?"

Uryu pointed ahead. Okita followed the man's directions, eyes eventually coming to rest on the junior high student who was now being escorted towards the exit.

"The kid?"

"Both of 'em," Uryu affirmed. "Doesn't it seem weird to you that the Senritsu boy we brought in earlier would call a classmate, not a family member?"

"Well, he did say that his dad was away on a business trip."

"Still...why specifically ask for his friend to come? Why not at least ask for the kid's parents?"

"So basically what you're trying to say is that you don't trust them," Okita summarized evenly.

"I think they're planning something."

For a brief moment, his black haired partner didn't respond, lost in thought. Only when the teenager who was the current focus of their observations reached the doors did he offer his own opinion.

"I think you're right, but what do we do about it? I'm _not _arresting two children in one day, and besides, we don't have any evidence that they really are up to something."

Uryu bit his lip in thought before slowly offering: "We could follow him, see if he does anything suspicious."

"Not both of us," Okita shook his head. "That would be too conspicuous. But you're right about the tailing thing."

"So do you want to do it then, or should I?"

The smaller man cast one last look at his paperwork, laying abandoned on the desk where he'd left it, then sighed in resignation. "I'll do it."

~X~

The moment he rounded the corner, Jun knew he was being followed. It was more of a feeling than anything else, an odd tingling at the base of his neck that set him on his guard, but he didn't need concrete evidence to convince himself of such a thing.

As discreetly as possible, he shot a quick glance over his shoulder. It helped little, as the street was too crowded to be sure if someone was truly on his tail or not. Still, the feeling remained, and it unsettled him greatly.

Who would be following him? His first guess was, surprisingly, Nao. The other boy had refused to say anything more after his whispered order, so hypothetically, there was a possibility. Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind however, Jun rejected it. Nao was still in the station, probably back in his cell at this point. Even if he somehow did manage to find a way to escape, as his actions up until then seemed to suggest he would do, it would take time. Besides, why follow Jun and attract attention? The safest course of action in that theoretical situation was to take a different route and meet up at the shrine, not follow the same path and risk being caught.

With a jolt, the boy realized there was a definite possibility that the person following him was either a policeman or a detective. That or a stalker, but he really didn't think that was the case, so the notion was quickly forgotten.

Okay, so he was being tailed. He could deal with that.

...Right?

_What the hell do I do now?_ he wondered with no small amount of annoyance. His house was on the complete opposite side of town from the shrine, but it was getting late, and stopping by a practically abandoned building in the middle of the night just screamed suspicious. Especially if it was to meet with a boy who had just escaped from the police station.

He supposed he could go home anyway and forget about Nao, but that was only a passing thought. At this point, he was in too deep. The older boy was now counting on him, and Jun would never be able to live with the guilt knowing that he'd just abandoned his classmate.

_Even though I really shouldn't be involved in this at all_, a small, self-righteous part of his brain quipped. He stopped that particular train of thought before it could get out of control, and returned to the problem at hand.

His best bet was probably to find a way to loose his pursuer without appearing to realize that he was being followed. And luckily for him, he had the perfect way to do that. After all, next to going home, what was the next least suspicious thing for a sprinter to do?

Go for a run, of course.

Jun started out at a steady jog to warm up his muscles. Practice, as he'd already pointed out, had been largely unproductive that day, so a little extra work wouldn't do any harm at all. Luckily, he was dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt, seeing as they were far more comfortable then his uniform and he had originally been planning on just lazing around the house that night, and thus it appeared to any common observer as though it had been his intention to exercise all along.

As time passed, the teenager gradually sped up, gaining speed to a natural rhythm. His planned route was fairly convoluted, involving a myriad of twists, turns, and detours. If he could get there fast enough, there was a possibility he would even scale a fence, just to screw with his follower. Still, that would only be if he was far enough ahead of the other to successfully be able to get over and away, so that it looked like he had simply taken the long away around.

No one paid any mind to a teenager running through the busy streets of the shopping center. That wasn't to say it was a normal sight, but enough people took evening jogs that he didn't merit any special attention. In fact, he passed by a few other runners, both teenage and adult, on his way through the town, for which he was grateful.

A few times, Jun seriously wondered if he was being followed at all. The tingling feeling ranged between strong and weak as he moved along, suggesting that his pursuer did in fact loose track of him at times. Still, every time he tried looking back to catch the person, there was no one. Then again, that could also be due to the fact that he stayed in fairly busy parts of the town, and as such would have trouble picking out a specific person in the the throngs of people.

About an hour in, the boy decided to take a risk and test his theory. Slowly, he began to move away from the more metropolitan areas. As the people began to thin, he figured it would be much easier to see if there really was someone behind him. Eventually, after another fifteen minutes or so, he came upon the residential streets.

Lined by large town houses with many darkened windows, the roads here were almost entirely deserted, all of the residents either inside with their families or asleep. Save for the occasional barking dog or chirping bird, the area was largely silent. It was because of this that Jun was finally able to discern, just barely, the sound of hurried footsteps.

The other did not appear to be running at this point, but he or she was still moving quite rapidly, undoubtedly cursing their luck for being stuck tailing a track runner. At this thought, a small smile crept onto Jun's face. He certainly hadn't made it easy on his pursuer, but then again, that _was_ kind of the point.

He detached himself from the wall he had been leaning on, taking a breather, and continued on, filled with a certain new determination. If this person, whoever they were, felt the need to follow him, that was fine. But that didn't mean he couldn't make their life hell for the next half hour.

And make their life hell he did.

Every chance he got, he would take the long way around whatever obstacle was in his path. He sped up and slowed down unpredictably, ran down numerous back alleys, and went out of his way to go to every fork in the road and intersection he could think of. And yes, he did get far enough ahead to scale the fence.

As the minutes ticked by however, and he got closer and closer to the shrine, he began to worry. His follower was obviously in fairly good shape to be able to keep up for so long, and Jun hadn't yet been able to shake the other. He was nearing his destination, but the persistent beat of feet hitting the pavement, though distant, had yet to cease.

To make matters worse, he happened to know that the road in front of Namimori Shrine was completely straight for a sizeable stretch, and he wasn't sure if he was far enough ahead for it to appear as though he had already turned the corner and disappeared out of sight when the person behind him finally caught up. Not to mention the steps, which were not only in plain sight but also insufferably long.

He could always hide in the trees, but there were few low bushes which could feasibly be hidden behind. Mostly, the forest surrounding the shrine was made up of tall, slender trees that, while being very pleasant to look at, offered little to no protection from the searching eyes of a detective.

Jun sped up to the best of his ability, but by the time he reached the street that the shrine branched off of, he still was unsure of what to do. Still, he pressed onwards, picking up speed as he moved. By the time he reached the base of the steps, he was almost in a full-out sprint.

Making a split-second decision, he made a quick turn and darted up onto the first stair. Taking the steps two at a time, he steadily made his way upwards. The boy was seriously considering just stepping off into the trees that surrounded the path and hoping for the best when he came to the next landing. His eyes did a rapid scan of the area ahead, feet already turning off the path, when his gaze landed on a low bush not far away.

A few meters up, surrounded by a grove of trees so close together that their branches intertwined at the top, grew a large shrub-like plant. Acting as a sort of hedge, it would completely hide him from anyone looking up from below.

But could he reach it in time?

Already, he was sure that his follower was making the turn onto the street. It wouldn't be long before they reached the steps. Quickly, he weighed his options and made another hasty choice.

Taking a deep breath, Jun started up the stairs at a breakneck pace. His feet flew, and the bush grew closer and closer. Within seconds, he was adjacent to it, blue eyes searching frantically for an opening he could dive through. Jun almost screamed in frustration when a gap wasn't readily visible. He could literally feel any lead he had built up ticking away as he stood there.

The footsteps below were drawing ever closer. He was honestly debating running up the next few steps and just moving behind the hedge, where the cover would be much less complete and he could easily be spotted if the pursuer were to look back at any point, when a flash of movement from the side grabbed his attention.

A tanned hand shot out of a previously-unseen gap in the brush, trapping his arm in a surprisingly tight grip. Before he could react, another had joined it, this time covering his mouth so as to prevent any cries of shock from escaping. Without warning, he was yanked back through the obstructing branches roughly, several sticks scraping against his arms and face painfully, and into the relative safety and cover of the bush.

A soft chuckle had his eyes flying open to meet the golden ones now hovering above his own, amusement twinkling in their metallic depths.

"Right on time, Takahiro-kun."


	47. Wish Me Luck 4

**Oh, this has been a very good week. I should probably save some of these chapters for later when I'm having trouble writing, but I'm one of those people who likes to post stuff immediately after I finish checking it over. So...yeah. Hope you like it! ^^**

**YuukiChan95: Glad you think so. Happy New Years! ^^**

**QueenofSpades99: I'm glad you liked the chapter. Your questions (or most of them at least) will be answered in this chapter, so please, read on.**

**Demon's Apprentice: Yes, I would imagine that it takes a while to read that much. :p Thanks. You like Yue, huh? Yeah, I like him to. Just wait though, he gets more important.**

**dotYui: Yes, I figured Jun needed a little arc to himself. Well, himself and Nao, but whatever. Glad you liked it, but on noes! Your fingers can't die yet! You still have to write for your own stories!

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Our Sky

Chapter 47: Wish Me Luck 4: Psychotic

"Right on time, Takahiro-kun."

"Nao-senpai!" Jun exclaimed, though with the hand covering his mouth, it ended up coming out more like, "Nphao-shenphai!"

"Um...yes?"

Immediately, the younger boy began to struggle in his grip, finally managing to wrench his head away from the offending hand when Nao relaxed his hold ever so slightly. Jun opened his mouth to yell, but he was stopped by a finger being pressed to his lips. His gaze flickered back to his older companion, who simply pointed in the general direction of the street below.

Understanding was quick to come after that, and – somewhat grudgingly – Jun quieted. The two were still for what felt like an eternity, ears straining to catch the sound of the pursuers footsteps.

The soft slap of shoes on pavement had already reached the base of the steps, a fact which, in the blue eyed boy's mind, only served to justify his own frantic actions. For a single, incredibly tense moment, the person slowed to a walk at the stairs, suggesting that he or she was searching the woods with their eyes.

It was only when their pace picked back up and the footsteps moved out of hearing range that Jun allowed himself to heave the sigh of relief he hadn't even realized he'd been holding in the first place.

"Well that was...exciting," Nao surmised with a smile. The comment earned him a harsh glare.

"Maybe that's 'cause you're not the one who just had to sprint up a ridiculously long flight of stairs," the other bit out irritably, sitting up. He reached for his bangs to pick a stray twig out of his hair, glancing at it for a second in disdain before throwing the kindling away.

Jun could just imagine what he looked like at the moment, and the image was not flattering. Sweat glistened on his forehead from the previous ordeal, and a heavy, weighty exhaustion had settled on his limbs now that the adrenaline had left his system. Sticks and leaves were tangled in his hair, with dirt smudged over his hands, clothes, and face from when he'd been pulled into the bush. Not only that, the scratches on his face were beginning to sting, and he could even feel a few drops of blood sliding down his cheek from where they'd escaped one of the nastier scrapes. In short, he was a mess, and he didn't need Nao's current patronizing gaze to tell him that.

"How did you even get here?" the boy growled, eager to take his senior's attention off of his appearance. "Aren't you still supposed to be locked up in the police station or something?"

"And here I was under the impression that you wanted as little to do with this as possible," Nao chuckled humorlessly, causing his companion's glare to darken.

"I do."

"Then it's probably best that you don't know." When Jun opened his mouth to protest, the Indian teenager held up a hand to momentarily halt any speech. "All you need to know is that I've bought us a little time, and no one should be on our tail until at least tomorrow morning, alright?"

_Notice the 'our,'_ the junior high student grumbled to himself, but wisely kept that observation to himself, instead focusing on another, more pertinent issue. "Tomorrow morning isn't far away at all. What are you planning on doing between now and then that will miraculously clear your name?"

"Nothing so drastic that it will remove all guilt from me," Nao replied dismissively, expression flat. "Really, I only want two things accomplished tonight. One: find a place where I can safely hide until we find the true culprit. That's probably the less daunting of the two."

_Again with the 'we.'_ Jun's eyes narrowed as he voiced his main concern aloud. "And the second one?"

He regretted asking the moment he saw the dangerous glint that the question sparked in Nao's eyes.

~X~

"I can't believe we're doing this!" Jun hissed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. "No, better yet, I can't believe I let you talk me into doing this!"

"May I just add that, in my defense, I really didn't need to do much convincing?" Nao questioned rhetorically, cautiously sticking his head out from the relative safety of the building's shadow within which they were hidden. "I think you accepted that you're just as much a part of this as I am the moment you left the police station."

Save for some unintelligible muttering under his breath, the other refrained from answering, further proving Nao's belief as well as bringing a triumphant smirk to his face.

The two were silent as they darted across the darkened asphalt, careful to avoid the small pools of light cast by the street lamps that lined the roads. The streets, especially in this part of town, were deserted at this time of night, but one couldn't be too careful when attempting to escape from the police.

"Remind me again why we're going back to your _house_, which is probably swarming with cops and detectives at this very moment?"

"Because I need to get something, obviously," the golden eyed boy snorted, letting the barest hint of annoyance cross into his words. "We've gone over this several times already, Takahiro-kun, and the answer is not going to change from the first time you asked to the seventh. Besides, I highly doubt there will still be too many people there right now, don't you agree?"

"Famous last words," Jun grumbled sullenly, following the other as he made a quick turn down a narrow alley.

As it turned out, Nao was – predictably, in his own mind – right. Upon arriving, the two boys were greeted with lots of yellow police tape and a road block, but only a single car parked in front of the large house. One man stood guard outside the gate, looking for all the world like he'd rather be anywhere else.

Undoubtedly, the next morning the property would be teeming with forensic scientists, detectives, guard dogs, and policemen, maybe even more than earlier that very day once news of Nao's escape became known, but for now at least, it was practically deserted. And that worked perfectly into their plan.

"We'll go around to the left side," Nao whispered, checking over his shoulder for Jun's response. Upon receiving a nod of agreement, he slowly began to creep away from their current vantage point, all the while motioning for his accomplice to follow his movements.

The street where they had been watching from was specifically chosen by Nao because of the odd way it angled into the main road. The position of the street corner was such that the two were able to safely scope out the area surrounding the mansion without the danger of being spotted in return by anyone who happened to be standing at the gate.

Nao's property was adjacent to the road on two sides – the front and left – with a neighbor on the right and a forest running along the back. An intricate black fence encompassed both the mansion and the extensive gardens that spread out around the building, providing both a way to separate the family who lived there from the outside world and a divider between the neighbor's land and their own.

Of course, it's complex design was also ideal for climbing, a fact which Nao had discovered very early on in life.

The boys circled the fence, careful to remain hidden within the shadows provided by the surrounding houses at all times. Whenever possible, they would use the elaborate network of roads, side streets, and alleyways that seemed to make up the whole of Namimori to put at least a building's breadth between themselves and Nao's residence.

The Indian teenager made straight for a section of the property that he knew would be hidden from view from the man at the gates by the trees that grew within. Not only that, the small grove led all the way up to the house, with the nearest tree growing right beside his bedroom window. This would allow him to get in and out of the house without needing to go near any of the doors, and thus hopefully remain undetected.

Their journey was a fairly short one, and it wasn't long before Nao was pulling to a stop in the last alley before his street, the trees already visible across the way. Quickly, he spun to face Jun, golden eyes hard.

"Wait here. _Do not_ follow me in, no matter what happens," he ordered, words blunt. And then, before his younger companion could even open his mouth to argue, he was gone, lithe form blending seamlessly into the darkness.

Jun stood, frozen in shock for a moment, stunned gaze tracking the high school student through the night without truly processing what he was seeing. He wasn't stupid enough to disobey the command and risk being caught, but he fumed at it nonetheless. Who did the hell Nao think he was, anyway?

The rush of indignant fury that surged through his body only moments later nearly prevented him from hearing the soft padding of footsteps approaching. By that time, Nao had already reached the fence, and just inserted his sneaker into the gap that would serve as his first foothold when the sound reached his sensitive ears. His head immediately snapped towards the source of the noise, and he swore under his breath. It was only that sudden motion that alerted his junior to the fact that someone was coming up on them, and fairly quickly too.

Unbeknownst to the pair, there had actually been two policemen on duty that night. One stayed at the entrance while his partner, a woman who was new to the force, patrolled the surrounding area. At the moment, she was just rounding the far corner, and had yet to spot either of the young intruders.

The moment he spotted her, Jun hurriedly flattened himself against the alley wall, inwardly cursing their bad luck. Unconsciously, his eyes darted to where his companion had been, panic twisting knots in his stomach. The blue eyed boy had last seen him about halfway up the fence, painfully obvious to the policewoman should she bother to so much as look up.

Thus, it was no small surprise for him to see that Nao was nowhere in sight.

_He couldn't have actually scaled that fence already...right?_ Honestly, at this point, it wouldn't surprise him. The older student seemed to be full of surprises, perhaps even more than he had originally realized. _But even if he did, where is he right...now..._

For the briefest fraction of a second, he had just been able to make out the bright glimmer of moonlight upon widened eyes. The flash, there and gone again so quickly, had originated from a branch thick with foliage that grew just above the top of the fence.

Sure enough, closer inspection revealed the barely visible form of his senior, thin frame obscured by the mix of thick shadows and leaves within the tree. Their gazes locked and held for the next few tense moments, each worried that the other would the discovered by the officer.

After what felt like an eternity, during which neither teenager dared to so much as breathe, the woman finally made her way past. In reality, she barely bothered to check, doing a cursory scan of the area with her eyes before moving on, but they both honestly thought that they were done for.

Later, each would look back on the moment with a healthy bit of embarrassment. However, that wouldn't be until many years down the road, when the very thought of it had finally ceased to quicken the pace of their heart.

Confident as he was in his camouflage, it wasn't until the woman was well out of sight that Nao dared to move again. Carefully, he dislodged his tight grasp on the branch where he sat, hoisting himself up into a half-crouch upon its rough surface.

From his vantage point on the ground, Jun had to strain his eyes to catch even the most obvious of the others movements. He vaguely registered Nao moving up further onto the branch he was situated on, but it wasn't until the older boy released his grip and jumped off that he was truly jolted back into reality.

The cry of shock died on his lips though as he watched the Indian teenager's arms shoot up, easily latching back onto the place he'd just leaped from. This left his body to hang in the air below it, feet swinging slightly before coming into contact with the next closest bough. He reaffirmed his feet's grip on the surface before fully dropping down onto it. From there, he simply repeated that same process until his feet came into contact with the ground below.

Jun was yet again left in stunned silence as Nao disappeared farther into the trees, all the while making for the house looming ahead.

Just how much did he really know about this guy? Next to nothing! Apparently, in addition to being a remarkably fast runner and good in school, the teenager was also wickedly cunning and an acrobat.

How wonderful.

_And he's trying to convince me that he had nothing to do with the museum being robbed?_ Jun wondered sullenly, leaning back on the wall and preparing himself for a long wait.

The minutes ticked by slowly, each one seeming longer than the last. He lost track of the number of times he checked his phone for the hour. Nao had left around eleven, give or take a few minutes. At eleven-fifteen, Jun was getting impatient. At eleven-thirty, he'd started tapping his foot, the first inklings of anxiety already having wormed their way into his mind. He quickly abandoned the habitual action in favor of inching farther into the shadows to avoid detection when the police officer made her second round at eleven-forty.

By eleven-fifty, he was close to panicking. The distance from the fence to the house really wasn't that large, and shouldn't take much time at all to traverse. Nao had officially been away for fifty minutes, and as the display on his cellphone screen ticked down to midnight, he felt his own worry increasing exponentially with each passing moment.

At exactly eleven-fifty-eight and twenty-four seconds, the first rustle of leaves caught him off guard, causing the sprinter to jump in surprise. He swiftly turned to see Nao already halfway up the nearest tree, scaling the uneven branches with an ease born from long practice. Off-handedly, Jun had to wonder just how many times the older had escaped from his house using this very method. Too many to count, if the practiced grace was any indication.

Within the span of only a few moments, Nao was touching down soundlessly on the pavement outside the fence. His eyes darted over the surrounding ground as he sprinted over to where his black haired companion was waiting, relief apparent in his gaze.

"What the hell took you so-" Jun was silenced by a quick shake of the head from the other teenager. Nao jerked his head down the alley, indicating that they move away from his house before they spoke again. Understanding immediately, the junior high student nodded, then took off down the narrow strip of asphalt.

The two slowed to a walk once they were safely a few streets away, but it wasn't until they had put a sizeable amount of distance between themselves and the mansion that Jun finally allowed himself to speak up.

"So why did you spend so much time in there?" he questioned, pulling his jacket closer to his chest in an attempt to stave off the night's chill. "I thought you were only going to get something."

"...How long was I away?"

"'Bout an hour."

"I see." Nao nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It felt like longer."

"What were you doing that took an hour, though?" the younger persisted.

"The thing I needed was very well hidden, and I had to avoid leaving any new fingerprints in case the police go back tomorrow," he explained.

"Define well hidden."

"Try under a floorboard that's under a rug, with a chair above it for good measure," Nao sighed, the barest undertone of irritation in his tone. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to move all that stuff, all the while making sure you don't leave behind any fingerprints?"

"Pretty difficult, I'd say."

"And time-consuming," the boy added, raking a hand back through his wavy hair. "So in answer to your question, _that_ is what took me so much time."

"How important was this thing that it needed to be so well-protected?" Jun asked, cocking his head slightly.

For a moment, Nao was silent, debating whether or not he should reveal the item in question so soon. They walked in silence, turning a corner into yet another street filled with nothing but dark houses.

Finally: "Some would call it priceless."

The younger teenager narrowed his eyes warily. "Why?"

How to respond to that? _It's the family heirloom of one of the most powerful men in the world; it's made of precious materials,_ the golden eyed boy rattled off in his head. _ And more importantly, it could be the key that helps us solve this and prove I'm innocent._

Instead of voicing any of these thoughts however, Nao simply reached into his pocket. He dug around for a few seconds before his fingers made contact with the cool metal band. Slowly, he withdrew his hand, uncurling his fist to reveal the ring that now lay on his palm.

A very long pause followed as Jun tried to digest what he was seeing. He opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to form words and not quite knowing what to say even if he could.

"I-I...you...but..."

The words weren't coming. He pulled to a stop and closed his eyes, fingers automatically moving up to rub his temples. As his mind gradually began to calm and reorganize itself, one thought made itself abundantly clear, taking precedence over all the rest, and that is what he finally voiced aloud.

"_I thought you said you didn't do it!"_

"Define 'it.'"

"The museum-"

"Had nothing to do with me," Nao interrupted smoothly, returning the jewelry back to his pants' pocket. "I was not lying to you when I said that I'm innocent. In that instance, at the very least."

"But that ring..." Comprehension dawned slowly in Jun's eyes, causing his jaw to drop once more. This time, however, he was much quicker about pulling himself back together. "Y-_You're_ the one who stole your grandfather's ring?"

"Correct," the older smirked. "Please don't ask me to explain why though – I kind of doubt that you'd get it. It's a family thing."

"Everyone in your family is as psychotic as you?"

"No." Nao chuckled slightly at the question. "Most of them are quite stupid, actually. And I don't really think of myself as psychotic, although I suppose I may be wrong."

Jun mumbled something that sounded a lot like, "You definitely are," under his breath. Then, somewhat reluctantly, he resumed walking, easily catching up to his senior.

"You're taking this surprisingly well," the high school student observed, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't trust you in the first place," his companion replied irritably. "This is nothing new, really. Besides, as you already said, I'm now involved in this too. As long as you weren't the one who stole from the museum, I honestly couldn't give a damn what crazy things you do in your free time."

This time, it was Nao's turn to stop suddenly. It took Jun a moment to realize that the other was no longer beside him, and he sent a glance over his shoulder that was half-quizzical, half-annoyed.

"What?

"...Nothing." With a smile that – for once in his life – didn't feel faked, Nao shoved his hands into the pockets of his black sweater and jogged to catch up, ignoring the odd look he was now getting.

"...You're weird," the younger announced with a scowl. "And where the hell did you get that sweater?" Even in his own mind, his attempt to change the topic was mediocre at best. Luckily, the other refrained from commenting on it.

"I picked it up in my room before I left. Don't tell me you just noticed it now."

"I was a little preoccupied with other things," Jun shot back defensively.

"Clearly." The response was dry, easily conveying the dark-skinned boy's contempt. "Regardless of my outfit though, we still aren't done for the night."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when I said that we needed a place to say?" From the look on Jun's face, it was clear that he didn't. Nao sighed. "Yeah, well, that hasn't changed any in the last few hours. Got any ideas?"

~X~

One o'clock in the morning was not at time that Retsu had ever wanted to be woken up at. Especially not if the thing disturbing his sleep was a knock from outside his window.

Unwilling to get up just yet, the boy groaned softly and rolled over in bed, away from the offending sound. Instead of stopping, the pounding actually intensified. He felt like that would have been significant to him if he wasn't so tired, but as it was, the action meant nothing.

A particularly loud knock had his eyes flying open in shock, purple irises dazed.

"Wha..." he mumbled sleepily, reluctantly sitting up. It was obvious that he would get no peace until he saw to whatever was outside, and at this time of night, there was nothing he wanted more than to flop back under his warm covers and slip into oblivion.

Another jarring hit brought him back to reality, and with a final protesting moan, the boy swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Rubbing at his eyes, he made his way over to the window, tripping on several of the articles of clothing that littered the floor along the way, yet somehow managing to stay on his feet.

As he neared the source of the noise, it began to slow and quieten. Over the weakening din, he could now make out a voice that he vaguely recognized.

"...Still can't believe how lucky we were that he happens to have a tree outside his window."

"Yeah," a second, more familiar voice agreed. "It would have been kind of awkward to knock on the door at this time of night."

"Kind of?"

Finally, the sleep-induced haze began to lift from Retsu's mind, allowing him to recognize the voices. Or one of them at least.

"Jun?" he called, pulling the window open the slightest bit.

Sure enough, one of the two dark forms perched on the branch outside waved. As Retsu's eyes adjusted, he was able to clearly make out his friend's features, even if the boy looked messier than he'd even seen him before. And as for the other...

"Nao-senpai?" The older smiled reassuringly, and that was all Retsu needed to fully wake up.

"What are you guys doing outside my window?" he hissed, shock giving way to irritation and confusion. "It's a little late to be visiting."

"Yeah, about that..." Jun looked down sheepishly, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "Um, I know this is really sudden, but could we stay the night?"

That took a minute for Retsu to process.

"_What_?"


	48. Wish Me Luck 5

**Two months isn't so bad, right? And this chapter's longer than usual, even if not a ton of stuff happens in it, so… Enjoy!**

**YuukiChan95:**** I wish I worked faster. :p Thanks!**

**QueenofSpades99:**** I like writing Nao. ^^ I'm worse than Retsu in the morning; if you come near me, I try and bite your head off.**

**dotYui:**** Thank you! And yeah, I guess, but he needed to move all the furniture and stuff... Okay, so it's kind of a bad line. -.- Whatever.**

**MoonlitMadness1:**** I'm so glad that you liked it, and thank you. You're not being pushy. There will be one...and fairly soon too, if I can pull these chapters together. -.-**

**Extreme Extreme Extreme:**** Nice name. :D Here's your update, to the EXTREME!**

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Our Sky

Chapter 48: Wish Me Luck 5: Freedom

As a child, Nao had always been fond of climbing. He clearly recalled the hours and hours he had once spent swinging, jumping, and springing through the trees that lined the property, easily abandoning the homework and studying he should have been doing in favor of this special pastime. The younger him had taken great pleasure in his ability to escape the older, less agile babysitters that his father always insisted on hiring. More than anything, however, he reveled in the exhilarating, fresh feeling that it provided. Free from the confines of the ground, able to momentarily almost forget the gravity that chained him to the earth, he was able to loose himself in the endless expanse of the sky. Nao had wiled away the days of his early life in the trees, balanced precariously on a branch as he chased the clouds across the hemisphere or traced out pictures in the stars.

It was around the end of his fifth year of elementary school that this illusion of freedom was shattered.

He and his father had been spending the summer in India, as they often had back then, in the company of their extended family. Nao hated it there.

In school, his friends would occasionally begin babbling on about their families; what presents their grandparents had bought them for their birthday, perhaps, or how fun that day at the amusement park with their cousins had been. He had always listened, unreadable smile already in place even at such a young age, laughing and exclaiming at all the right parts. But never contributing. After all, what did he have to add? His family simply wasn't like that.

His grandfather was a giant of a man by anyone's standards, standing tall at well over six feet and built like a brick wall. His eyes were dark like flint, and every bit as hard, with bushy gray eyebrows jutting out above and a hooked nose between. The man was rather cold, unable to truly dislike such a young boy just because of the identity of his biological mother, yet incapable of liking him for that very same reason.

That, Nao could deal with. He wasn't overly fond of the much older male, and perfectly content with being ignored. It was the aunts and uncles and cousins who were perpetually flanking Laksh, tittering on in their irritatingly shrill voices and pandering to his every whim, who made his blood boil with suppressed annoyance and contempt.

One day at the end of August, he had finally snapped. Several of his older cousins had been poking fun at him _again_ because of his quiet demeanor, diminutive figure, accent, and anything else that their simple minds could possibly think up that set him apart from them. Still, he was usually able to tune it all out, counting down the seconds until they finally got bored and left. That day was different though.

That day, they had started on about his eyes.

Nao would be the first person to admit that his eyes were unnatural. They were _gold_, for heaven's sake. But he had inherited them from his mother, and would not tolerate any insults towards anything even relating to her. And thus things took a turn for the worse when the others picked up on this fact and immediately latched onto the chance to get under his skin.

"I read in a book once that only demons have eyes like that," one particularly loud girl taunted, the corners of her mouth twisting up in a cruel smirk. "Do all people in Japan have such odd features, or are you just special?"

He gritted his teeth, body tensing up at the obvious insult to his friends and his heritage.

"Maybe they do," her brother agreed with a nod, gaze cold. "Or maybe it's 'cause of some disease."

"It wouldn't surprise me." The last child, a boy a few years older than Nao himself, grinned maliciously. "After all…" He paused for dramatic effect before continuing, each word coated in sugary poison. "You never know what kind of nasty things a whore will pick up on the streets."

He proceeded to say something else – most likely another insult – but Nao was past listening. The implications had taken barely a second to hit home, and then he saw nothing but red. With a loud, wordless yell of fury, he lunged at his cousin, fists raised.

It wasn't until his back hit the ground – face throbbing where the blow had landed – that the older boy even realized what was going on. Even then he made no move to stand up, frozen in shock with one hand cupping his injured cheek. Nao would have continued the assault had the siblings from earlier not grabbed him at that moment, each catching an arm and restraining him with their superior weight.

He was not to be deterred, however – not after finally allowing some of the anger that had been building up in him since the beginning of the month out. With a sudden viciousness that neither of the older children was expecting, he lashed out furiously with his legs. One made contact with the other boy's shin, drawing a satisfying yelp of pain and a loosening of the grip on his right arm. Nao was quick to take advantage of this, wrenching out of the weakened hold with renewed strength.

He slammed into the stunned girl on his other side, driving his shoulder into the joint where her arm connected to her own shoulder. She screeched, unconsciously dropping his wrist in favor of nursing her new bruise. Before either could regain their senses, the small golden-eyed boy was off, darting out of the sitting room and making straight for the large double doors that led outside.

Within seconds, he was in the courtyard beyond the entrance, but had no time to waste on enjoying the warmth of the sun or relaxing on one of the numerous benches that dotted the broad space. The sounds of his cousins giving chase not too far behind gave his feet wings, and he tore past the ornate fountain in the center of the enclosed yard. Nao sprinted for the far corner, where he knew a large tree grew alongside the clay wall, providing shade for any who desired a reprieve from the blistering sun.

…Or a safe haven for those trying to escape their bloodthirsty relatives.

The elementary school student leaped onto the first low-hanging bough, hastily scrambling up to the next. He made his way up the tree quickly, occasionally scraping his hands on the rough bark but too desperate to care. He wasn't quite sure what he was trying to accomplish by doing this, just knew that he had to get away, and this seemed like the safest place to his panicked mind.

His racing heartbeat began to slow the higher he climbed, and his mind started to reorganize itself. With this new clarity came a sinking realization, though: he had cornered himself. An anxious look back confirmed this theory, as one of the boys had already managed to bypass the halfway point and was even now closing in on him.

Spurred on by this knowledge, Nao quickened his pace, heart pounding in his ears and sweat born from fear beginning to bead on his forehead. Branch after branch flew by under his hands as he ascended higher, leaving the sturdier ones behind for the flimsier, lighter boughs that lined the top of the trunk. A breeze whistled by, whipping his hair out around his head. Dust flew into his eyes, forcing him to stop momentarily and blink away the sting.

There lay his mistake, however, for he had underestimated both his cousin's climbing ability and much longer reach. This minute pause had given the older boy time to lessen the gap to only a few feet, a fact which Nao didn't realize until the iron grip latched onto his skinny ankle. A dreadful cold settled over the youth, gaze slowly trailing down his leg to the hand that had captured it.

Before he even had the chance to react, a harsh pull was delivered, and he lost his tight grip on the branch above. He toppled forward, brain freezing up even as it registered the distinct weightlessness that only falling could provide. The golden-eyed boy closed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest in a feeble attempt to protect himself.

He hit a few branches on the way down, taking a number of broken twigs with him when he passed. When he finally hit the ground, it was covered in a mess of bruises, scrapes, and scattered leaves. Looking back, Nao now realized that the tree had really served to break his fall, and was probably the sole reason why he hadn't broken his neck upon impact. Back then, however, he had been in far too much pain to even begin to care about something like that.

His thoughts immediately flew to the siblings who had been waiting at the bottom, and he forced his battered body to turn over slightly so that he was lying on his back. Nao cracked an eye open, scanning the area through the small slit of light. Instead of his pursuers, though, the boy was greeted with the sight of his grandfather hovering above him, expression unreadable.

With a few harsh coughs, Nao forced himself to sit up, gaze trained on the old man at his side. He struggled to keep his face impassive, but was all too aware of the slight flush of embarrassment that had taken over his cheeks, and the few tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

When his grandfather made no move to speak, the boy took the task upon himself.

"Grand-"

"Don't run away from a fight_ you_ started," the man interrupted, voice stern. Nao's mouth snapped shut, stunned. "Or if you do, at least have the sense to run somewhere you can't be found. Stupid boy."

With that said, he swept away, black coat flapping in the wind. The elementary school student sat, frozen to the spot, for a long time after that, replaying the recent events over and over again in his mind. At his grandfather's appearance the three tormentors had fled, meaning no one had been witness to the other's words, but that did little to prevent the humiliated flush that overtook his face.

Don't run away? Did the old man have no idea what he'd been subjected to for the last month!

Nao could have cried then and there, but he forced the tears in, refusing to show any more weakness than he already had. Slowly, he picked himself up, brushing the twigs off of his small form and making his way back into the house. Outwardly, he was calm again, only a slight shining cast to his eyes hinting at the tears that had been so close to falling. Inwardly, however, he was boiling with fury and shame.

The boy said nothing for the short remainder of the vacation. If this encounter with his relatives had taught him anything, it was the importance of taking time to think things over. His cousins left him alone for the most part, and he never saw his grandfather.

Once he returned home to Japan, Nao threw himself into his studies. He had realized that he would never be free of this family, but the closest he could come to that was to be completely independent of them. He would never rely on them for money, for a start. Still, he wanted to live comfortably, so he would work hard and get a good job when he grew up.

The trees were no longer a sanctuary to him. They represented his humiliation at the hands of his cousins, and even worse, his prior illusions of freedom. Humans could not fly, and they would never be able to truly leave the ground behind, just as he would never truly be able to escape his family.

Nao supposed that, in a way, he was a hypocrite. He claimed to hate deceit and illusions, yet he clung to his outward mask like a lifeline. He refused to show others his true self, thus creating a delusion in their minds about himself. To date, only one person had ever been able to see past this ruse. Perhaps that was why he had gone to that person, then, when he had found himself in need of help.

"We're here."

Jun's quiet words shook him out of his reverie, bringing him back to reality as effectively as a tap on the shoulder or a scream in his ear. He looked up to meet Jun's scowling face with a smile before turning to survey the house itself.

It was fairly plain, with white shingles lining the sides and a dark red, angled roof. The home had two stories, and an abundance of windows on both floors. A fence surrounded the property, but the gate had a simple lock, and Nao made quick work of it.

"I was going to ask where you learned all this shit, but then I decided I didn't want to know." Jun gave his companion a flat look before pushing past the now-open entryway and making his way into the deserted property. No lights were on, but the moon provided enough illumination for them to safely make their way around the side of the building.

"So whose house is this anyway?" Nao asked, soundlessly making his way up to the tree that grew beside the house. Jun was already perched on one of the lowest branches, and steadily moving upwards.

"Do you know the white-haired kid I hang out with?"

"I think so." White hair was a pretty defining characteristic in anybody, and the Indian boy knew that he would be hard pressed _not_ to remember such a thing. "He's always got those silver bracelets on, right?"

Jun thought back to their fight with Shigeru; the absence of the jewelry on his friend's wrist, the chakrams morphing into a pair strange, thick silver bands after Retsu passed out, and the careful hold that the baby, Reborn, had had on them as they were driven away to the hospital. But Nao didn't need to know about any of that.

"Yeah, that one."

They scaled the tree in silence, finally coming to a stop in front of a window on the second floor. Nao was about to open his mouth and ask what next when a loud rapping sound nearly jolted him out of the tree in shock.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, shooting a glare born of surprise at the other male. "Are you trying to wake everybody in the house?"

"Retsu's a deep sleeper," was Jun's terse reply, laced with irritation. "Anything less and he won't wake up."

"You're starting to sound like you've done this before." Nao didn't mean to appear so sullen, but the incessant knocking was beginning to give him a headache, and he was still on edge from the night's events.

"Let's just say that he has a tendency to nod off in the middle of class." The blue-eyed boy smirked, punctuating the statement with a particularly loud rap on the glass. Nao was beginning to wonder if the window was in any danger of breaking.

"But I still can't believe how lucky we were that he happens to have a tree outside his window," he said in an attempt to distract the other boy from his self-appointed task.

Jun acknowledged the comment with a nod. "Yeah, it would have been kind of awkward to knock on the door at this time of night."

"Kind of?" Nao shot back, amused. He probably would have continued with another snarky comment had the window not opened a fraction at that exact moment, carrying with it a tired, confused voice.

"Jun?" Said boy waved cheekily. There was a moment of silence, where Retsu was no doubt attempting to find the identity of the other intruder, then: "Nao-senpai?"

He smiled.

"What are you guys doing outside my window?" The sleep was gone from his voice, replaced by annoyance that was almost tangible as he flung the window open fully to glare at them. "It's a little late to be visiting."

"Yeah, about that… Um, I know this is really sudden, but could we stay the night?"

Takahiro Jun: master of tact. Nao filed this information away with a sigh, mentally swearing that if they were ever in a situation like this again, _he_ would do the talking.

Retsu was stunned into silence for a moment, as was to be expected, but the feeling was quick to pass.

"_What_?"

He barely had time to voice that one incredulous word before Nao's hands clamped over his mouth, muffling any further attempts at questioning. The older boy had been anticipating such a response, and had prepared himself accordingly. What he _hadn't_ planned for was, of course, Retsu's utter lack of anything even resembling balance. The unexpected addition of the other's hands was just enough extra weight to send him stumbling back a step or two, and in keeping with his customary horrid luck, there simply _had_ to be a stray soda can – empty, thank goodness – at his feet. And Retsu just _had_ to accidentally step on it, sending both he and the high school student tumbling rather ungracefully back onto the floor.

"Ow…" the white-haired boy groaned, tentative fingers reaching up to slowly rub his head where it had made contact with the ground. "Nao-senpai, you're a lot heavier than you look."

How does one respond to something like that? "Um, sorry?"

"Are you okay?" Jun asked, lowering himself into the room with considerably more grace than either of his companions. "Senpai, what the hell was that about?"

"Making sure he didn't wake up the entire house, of course," Nao scoffed, pushing himself into a sitting position beside the fallen junior high student. "Unless you wanted that entire walk to be for nothing. Besides, it's your fault that he reacted so violently in the first place, so really, most of the blame's on you."

"How is this _my_ fault?"

"Let me answer that question with another question," he replied evenly, bringing up a hand as if to inspect his fingernails. "Have you ever heard of this little thing called tact?"

"I'd like to see you do better!"

"I have no doubt that I could have."

"Stop!" Retsu's voice cut through the momentary lull in the argument, effectively silencing them both. He sat up slowly, still massaging his skull. "Does anyone want to explain to me why you're here in the first place?"

The pair traded looks.

"He's your friend," Nao finally conceded. "You do it."

"This is your mess," Jun shot back irritably, folding his arms over his chest.

"And this is my house," the last boy pointed out flatly. "If neither of you want to say anything, then I'm going to kick you out."

"A boss must take care of his subordinates." The comment rang through the air from above Retsu's head. Nao watched in fascination as the other flinched, bringing up both arms so quickly that it seemed instinctual. Seconds later, a small, dark shape seemed to almost fall from the ceiling, colliding with the raised limbs. The white-haired teen treated the shadowed figure to an icy glare as it moved to land on the carpeted floor, nodding in satisfaction.

"You're getting better at dodging," a squeaky, child-like voice stated with approval, but the praise fell on deaf ears.

"Reborn, it is one o'clock in the morning," Retsu snapped. "Go back to bed."

"I don't answer to you." There was a note of finality in the words, clearly showing that – in Reborn's mind at least – this conversation was over. The baby turned to face the room's other inhabitants, completely ignoring his student's indignation. "And I believe they came here because they needed a place to stay, correct?"

Nao was still a little stunned by the sudden addition of this child to their party, and as such, had yet to properly organize his mind. Thus, he was left with saying the first thing that came to mind.

"The baby can talk."

"Nice observation, Captain Obvious." Jun rolled his eyes, elbowing the older boy in the ribs. "This is Reborn, Retsu's tutor."

Reborn's eyes narrowed slightly as he analyzed the Indian boy, doing a quick scan of the teenager before moving up to lock eyes with himt. They stayed like that for a long moment, each attempting to draw more information about the other without having to ask.

It was Nao who broke contact first, offering a benign smile to the diminutive hitman. "Nice to meet you, Reborn-kun. I'm Nao."

"The pleasure is mine."

Jun sent Retsu a quizzical look over his senior's head, eyebrows raised in question. His friend only shrugged though, equally mystified by his tutor's odd behavior. Reborn was being civil, and to a teenager no less. Reborn was _never_ civil.

"Retsu." The boy started at the sudden use of his name, gaze immediately moving to the baby at his side. "Let them stay the night, and then explain in the morning."

"But-"

"You will all be more alert after some sleep. Besides, can't you see that your friends are exhausted? You are being a very poor host."

He just barely suppressed the urge to remind Reborn that he was not entitled to be gracious since it was the other two who had decided to barge in without notice, instead choosing to turn to the boys in question.

They _did_ look tired. Nao was leaning heavily on the bed at his back, eyelids occasionally drooping slightly farther than was normal before snapping back open once more. Jun stifled a yawn with one hand, vision swimming dramatically for a fraction of a minute.

Retsu took one glance at them before pushing himself to his feet, sighing in defeat the entire time. He walked over to the closet and began pulling spare blankets and pillows – courtesy of previous sleepovers – from the shelves, throwing them haphazardly over his shoulder and hoping that they reached the pair. Then, without so much as a glance at his companions, he returned to his bed, pulling the covers over his head as if to block out the world. Through the blankets, the other occupants were just able to make out his next words.

"If anyone wakes me up before seven tomorrow morning, I'll shoot them. Good night."

~X~

"Is Japan hot at this time of year?"

Lucian Knight sighed exasperatedly, fingers moving up to rub at his temples soothingly. "Michael, that's the third time you've asked that. The answer's not gonna change."

"So…we're not going to go swimming then?"

"Why would you ever assume that we were going there to swim?"

"Because it pisses you off. _Duh_." Michael grinned cheekily, green eyes sparkling with mirth. "'Sides, it's fun getting under your skin."

"Do you want to get thrown off this plane?" Lucian growled, but there was no real force behind the threat and they both knew it. He settled back into his seat grumpily, placing his book over his face in a clear sign that this conversation was _over_.

Michael flopped back in his own seat, gaze trained on the television overhead without really processing what was happening on screen. He laced his fingers together and used them as a cushion for his head, a languid smirk spreading across his handsome face.

"You know you love me too much to actually do something like that," he teased lightly, poking the silent boy at his side with one finger. "And throwing someone off a plane would be awfully hard, what with all these tiny little windows. Although I suppose if you blew a hole in the side…but then that would mess up the pressure in the cabin, and everybody else would die too…but I guess you could-"

"Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

The green-eyed boy chose to obey for once, content at the moment with his work. The two sat in silence for a short while, but it wasn't to last, a fact which Lucian was all too aware of. Thus, he was not horribly surprised when his talkative companion spoke up again.

"We're going to see your cousin, right? What's he like?"

"We are not truly cousins," he corrected, running a hand through his blond hair in thought. "Actually, I'm not really sure what relation we have to each other. Whatever it is, it's distant; I've never met him."

"And now we're flying all the way to Japan to see him!" Michael surmised wryly. "One has to wonder what's so important to warrant such a sudden personal meeting."

"I think you've already got a pretty good idea."

"I'd have a better idea if you'd just tell me why you're dragging me halfway across the world."

"I'm sure you would."

"…"

"…"

"Fine," the boy conceded sullenly, lips coming together in a pout. "Don't tell me."

"All you need to know at this point is that I've got a proposition for him." Lucian smirked coolly, an expression that would have sent chills down any normal person's spine. "And if everything works out, I promise you that we're going to have some fun with this."

"I like having fun," Michael grinned. "Is that message you sent to Benihime before we boarded the plane of any importance to this?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you're a manipulative son of a bitch who couldn't give a straight answer if your life depended on it," the green-eyed boy informed his friend, sunny smile never once wavering. "No offense."

"None taken." Lucian rolled his eyes, reaching into his pocket for his iPod. "I'm about to try and tune out the world – namely you – by potentially deafening myself. Any last questions before I do?"

"Just one."

"What is it?"

"Are you absolutely sure that Japan is not hot at this time of year?"


	49. Roses are Red

…**This was still out before two months had passed! *hangs head in shame* On the upside though, I kind of like this chapter, even if it's mostly filler. Enjoy, and as always, please drop me a review and tell me what you think. ^^**

**LilyMoonstone****: He's suffering in his own way. Just…more quietly. :)**

**YuukiChan95****: And now it's been even longer. -.- Hope it's still worth the wait.**

**QueenofSpades99****: Woah, woah, let's not get trigger happy. That's my job. I'm glad you liked it/them. Just a quick question: are you psychic? ^^**

**MoonlitMadness1****: Thanks, and I'm happy you like the new characters. You'll be seeing more of them as the story goes.**

**Extreme Extreme Extreme****: You are an incredibly good motivator, and I thank you for that. ^^ You'll have to wait and see for the part about the ring.**

**dolphinherovamp5****: I hope you like this chapter as well. You have no idea how awesome it was for me to wake up and find four new reviews for this story, so thanks for taking the time to do that. I'm glad you like the new characters, and this chapter has more of them and Retsu. ^^**

**dotYui****: Well it's about damn time! Just kidding. ^^ Monkey Nao…it could work. I'm glad you liked the chapter, and thanks. A lot of people seem to like Michael and Lucian, so I'm happy. :)**

* * *

Our Sky

Chapter 49: Roses are Red

"You're late." The two words came down like a hammer on Michael's head, easily carrying over the bustle of the airport. He tried his best not to flinch back from the scathing glare that accompanied the statement, arms already up in a defensive position lest the speaker decide to attack. The aggressor tossed her long brown hair over a shoulder with one tanned hand, hazel eyes narrowed and accusing as she continued to speak. "Your flight was supposed to land six minutes and eighteen seconds ago."

"Okay, in my defense, I really don't have any control over how fast-"

"No," she cut him off sharply, glare strengthening. "You have no defense. Ten minutes could cost you _your life_ in battle, and those of your comrades. And in all that free time you had, did you even once think to check the plane for assassins or bombs?"

"You have got to be kidding me," Michael snorted, arms crossing defiantly over his chest.

"Did you?"

"No, you got me!" He threw up his hands in mock defeat. "But guess what: we're both here safe and sound, so you can quit your mothering, loosen up _for once_, and live a little. Or is that beyond your capabilities?"

"How dare you-"

"My goodness, do you ever stop nagging?"

"Y-you… Lazy jackass!"

"Mother hen!"

"Incompetent pig!

"Overbearing-"

"Enough!" Lucian finally snapped, just barely quelling the urge to throw his carry-on item at his two companions. He had just spent well over twelve hours on a crowded passenger plane, and his temper was understandably a bit short. "Anya," he continued menacingly, expression stormy. "Please refrain from being quite so abrasive this early in the morning."

"Lucian… It's ten thirty-four a.m." Anya pointed out bluntly.

"Well it's three thirty-four in Italy," he shot back acerbically with a warning glare to dissuade any attempts on her part to argue. That said, the blond boy turned his icy stare on his dark-haired best friend, who had wisely taken refuge behind Anya's slim form in hopes of escaping at least part of the sleep-deprived Italian's anger. "Michael…" Lucian's voice was deceptively soft, easily belaying the core of steel under the word.

"Y-yes?"

"Stop instigating these little episodes." The order was simple and to the point, but the harsh glint in his eyes did away with any illusions Michael may have had that the other male's rare joking side was making an appearance. "Or _I will_ for you."

"Understood." The statement was accompanied by a mock military salute, but the slight nod of his head that followed showed that – for the next few moments, at least – he would remain civil.

"Good." Lucian moved so that he was once again facing Anya before continuing. "Is Benihime ready with the car, or are we stuck here until she arrives?"

"She's just outside," the brunette replied, gesturing towards the glass doors across the wide hall which led to the outside world. She grasped the handle of the nearest piece of luggage and began to walk in that general direction, towing it along after her in an obvious sign that they should follow. Lucian and Michael grabbed the remaining bags before taking the path she had cleared for them through the crowd, careful to avoid rolling the wheels over any unsuspecting persons' foot.

Along the way, Michael was jolted from behind by a passing man, who muttered a quick apology and moved to hurry away. Before he could get too far, however, Lucian's hand shot out and caught his arm in an iron grip, features hard.

"What the-" the older male started irritably, gaze darting about in search of an escape. "I already said I was sorry for bumping into him, punk. The violence is not necessary."

"I could care less that you hit Michael," the blond shrugged the comment off indifferently. "But we need the money in that wallet for food, so I would be very grateful if you would kindly _open your hand and return it_."

_How did he know_? The thought raced through the thief's mind, but he thankfully managed to keep his outward composure in place. He could do this; if worst came to worst, he could call for help, say that _they_ were robbing_ him_. It had worked before and it would work now. With that in mind, he turned to face the insolent boy with the vice grip on his arm, fully confident and ready for whatever lay ahead.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," he snapped, faking indignant fury. "Release me at once or I will call security on you!"

Lucian's blue eyes narrowed dangerously, and he took a single step forward. This action alone was enough to send a spike of fear through the man's spine. He opened his mouth to call for help, but was startled into silence when an olive-skinned hand clamped down on his left shoulder, holding him firmly in place. Cold beads of sweat began to form on the back of the thief's neck as he turned to face the owner of the restraining limb, forcing a sneer onto his face. Any composure that he may have had, however, evaporated the second he looked into the frigid green eyes that hovered barely a foot away.

Satoshi Miwa had never believed that a person's life could flash before their eyes in the face of death. It seemed like a cheap trick that movies and books occasionally used to draw out a moment and make it more emotional, or give important background information without having to explicitly state it. As that hard emerald gaze bored into him though, leaving him feeling vulnerable and so very defenseless, he was forced to reconsider this idea. It seemed at if every choice he had made prior to now that had led to this moment resurfaced in his mind, mentally beating him down with all of his failures and poor decisions.

An incredible cold stole over his body, paralyzing him to the spot. His fingers trembled under the sheer force of the other's intimidating aura, and without him even realizing it, the wallet slipped through his shaking fingers to land softly on the tiled floor below.

Michael blinked then, releasing the man from his frightened trance. Satoshi stumbled once and fell to the ground in a sitting position, unable to speak through the terror that still lingered in him at the sheer memory. He flinched back from the boy's hand when he reached down to snatch the wallet from the floor, pocketing it with a flippant smile.

"Sorry 'bout that," the green-eyed Italian said, shooting the thief a sympathetic look. "I'm still tired from the flight, and my control's not as good as it usually is. You should be fine in a few minutes, though I wouldn't recommend any horror movies in the near future." He appeared as if he wanted to say something else, but was cut off by an annoyed cry from the third member of their strange group, a pretty brunette with fiery hazel eyes.

"Hurry up," she called irritably, ignoring the reproachful gazes sent her way by several members of the crowd. "I _know_ you don't want to keep Hime waiting!"

"Ah!" Michael cringed at the very thought, quickly reaching for his bags and moving to follow Anya.

"Wait," Satoshi exclaimed, sitting up straighter. Both teenagers turned to face him curiously, though the blond's expression still retained a measure of his characteristic indifference. "W-who are you guys?"

The dark-haired one simply blinked, surprised by the question. Lucian ran an appraising glance over the man on the floor before them, thinking over how best to answer. Another impatient cry from Anya seemed to hurry along his decision, as the next moment he was turning away, throwing his answer over one shoulder as he walked on.

"Tourists."

~X~

"So let me get this straight," Retsu began tiredly, one hand moving up to rub at his forehead in a mixture of disbelief and irritation. Upon awakening that morning, he had been sorely disappointed to find that no; the strange events of last night had not simply been an odd dream that would disappear after some sleep. Jun and Nao were still very much there, one at the foot of his bed while the other lay underneath the open window. He had been quick to rouse them, eager to get the whole story out as early as possible, but now, after listening to Nao's recount of the night's affairs, he was seriously beginning to wish that he had just left well enough alone and simply let them sleep on.

"_You_," he continued after a short pause, pointing at Nao, "seem to be the cause of all this."

"Wait a seco-" The older opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by a sharp glare.

"I waited all night," Retsu pointed out flatly, too weary at that point to be bothered with things like courtesy and tact. "We're getting this straight _now_."

Nao still looked as if he wished to say something, but wisely chose to keep his mouth shut for the moment. Satisfied with the other's response, the white-haired boy spoke up again.

"Because of family circumstances, which I admit I don't know anything about so I'll try not to comment on just how messed up this entire situation is-" a pointed look at Nao earned the boy a baleful look, but nothing else, "You stole your family's prized ring and actually managed to get back to Japan with it."

Retsu's face took on a look of grudging admiration as he said those words, but it was quick to return to its previous sour countenance after one look at the other's smug expression.

"Apparently, this ring has a twin, and this was being displayed at the Namimori Museum – not that any of us would know that because nobody goes to museums anymore. But anyway, this twin is stolen, and your finger prints are found all over the broken case. The police arrest you of course, and despite all of the evidence, you still insist that you didn't do it."

"I didn't steal the ring."

"My point exactly." Retsu nodded once, then ploughed on. "You devise this crazy, harebrained scheme, but you need someone to help, so you call Jun. He comes, you explain, and for some odd reason he actually accepts." He shot his friend a quizzical look, but continued to speak. "Using some method that I don't think I really want to know, you manage to actually escape from the police station, and then you two meet up at the Namimori Shrine."

A brief image of an all-knowing smirk and stormy grey eyes disappearing into a swirling mass of leaves flitted through his mind at the mention of the shrine, but Retsu quickly banished it from his thoughts. He needed his mind clear to even hope to understand this story.

"You head to your house to grab the ring you _did_ steal, and then, for some reason that I still don't think I get, you decide to rest up at _my place_."

A long pause followed as he tried to collect his thoughts. Neither of the other boys moved to comment or put in a word of defense, and the only sound in the room was that of Reborn's quiet snores. Finally, after was felt like an eternity, Jun spoke up.

"Th-that sounds about right," he admitted sheepishly, anxiety twisting a knot in his stomach. Retsu seemed uncharacteristically cold today; his speech was clipped, his eyes hard, and the expression he wore could only be described as stony. Jun couldn't help but think back to all that he had recently pieced together about their little 'family.' At first, he had thought of it as a joke – a product of Kazuki and a baby's vivid imaginations, nothing more. But the various battles of the past few weeks had forced him to give the matter some serious thought.

Retsu as a mafia boss was a disturbing image to say the least. Normally, it was also one that was near impossible to imagine. And yet, at the moment…

The boy was shaken out of his thoughts by a snort from the high school student at his side. He jumped slightly at the sound, sending a questioning look over his shoulder as he did. As usual, the expression on Nao's face was unreadable, though Jun could have sworn he saw a small twinkle of amusement in the other's golden eyes.

It seemed as though this had not gone unnoticed by Retsu either, as he raised an eyebrow in response. "What?"

"You're very good at pretending to be serious," the Indian boy smirked. "But unfortunately, I'm not so easily intimidated. You can drop the act; it's not working."

For a long moment, the two just stared at each other. The tension seemed to increase with each passing second, until Jun was sure that he would be able to reach out and touch it if he was so inclined. Finally, Retsu looked away. Then he sighed, and all the fight seemed to leave his body. The white-haired teenager fell back to lean on the wall just behind him, sighing in defeat. When he next raised his head to lock eyes with the room's other occupants, all the hardness had dissipated, leaving only mild irritation and disappointment in its wake.

"Damn," he sighed again, head bumping against the wall with a soft _thump_. "And I thought I was finally starting to get good at that too."

"Don't take it too hard," Nao winked. "It was very believable. Just ask Takahiro-kun."

"Wait, what?" Jun started, gaze darting back and forth between the two in confusion. "He was seriously just acting the whole time?"

"Yeah," Retsu nodded. "Reborn's been teaching intimidation tactics lately, so I figured I may as well try them out. Clearly, I still have a lot of practice to do." He shot a dry look at Nao, who beamed in response.

"Why intimidation tactics?" the blue-eyed boy persisted, still trying to piece together the whole situation. "Is this something to do with that mafia thing?"

"Unfortunately." His white-haired friend wrinkled his nose in distaste, glaring at the hammock where Reborn was currently sleeping. "Though I guess I can kind of understand this particular lesson, I'm still trying to figure out what relevance some of the other stuff has." Jun thought he heard the other mutter something about 'stupid archaic Latin,' but he didn't comment.

"Must be interesting tutoring sessions," he teased, trying to ignore the puzzled expression on Nao's face.

"Don't say that!" Retsu hissed warningly. "He'll hear you!"

"He's asleep."

"That doesn't matter! Reborn will wake up and probably start on a lesson, and he'll be so encouraged by your comment that he'll try to make it even more messed up than it already is."

"No offense, but I'm kind of not following your logic," Jun stated, raising an eyebrow at the other's frantic behavior.

"Well _I'm_ not following either of you right now," Nao chimed in, a look that was somewhere between amusement and irritation on his face. "What are we talking about?"

It was Retsu's turn to exchange looks with Jun, both feeling rather torn about what to say. On the one hand, the Indian boy had enough problems already without having to deal with the mafia, and he probably wouldn't believe them regardless. However, he was also wanted for theft and escaping detainment, so it was possible that some connections would have to be called on. How he would even go about doing that, Retsu had no idea, but the option remained.

"Um, you see Nao-senpai, we-" The young boss was cut off by the sudden opening of his door, and the coming of a new voice.

"Retsu-san, there's a letter here for ya…" Izumi stopped abruptly at the sight of Jun and Nao, mouth freezing in place as the words died on his lips. For a long moment, no one moved. Then, as if forcibly jolted out of his shock, the orange-haired teenager snapped his jaw closed, expression turning thoughtful. "When did ya guys get here?"

"Th-they slept over." The former-singer sent the youngest Akimura a quizzical glance. He seemed to realize that there was more to this story than the other was telling him, but Izumi had never been one to pry. Everyone was entitled to their secrets, and as long as Retsu was not putting himself in harm's way, who was he to interfere with the older boy's business?

With that in mind, he pasted a cheerful smile on his face, hoping that it looked believable enough. Something about the look that the unfamiliar dark-skinned boy beside the bed was giving him told Izumi that his ruse had been seen through, but he persisted anyway.

"Okay," the boy chirped with a smile, holding up the small envelope in his hand. "Like I said, this letter came for ya this mornin', and yer mom sent me up to give it to ya."

"A letter?" Retsu seemed genuinely puzzled by the very thought. "I haven't gotten one of those in forever." He took the offered paper with more than a little caution, slowly peeling the top off and pulling out a plain white card. The other three boys crowded around, eyes widening as they read the contents.

_Roses are red, violets are blue_

_You don't know me, but I know you_

_Clams hold secrets you'd never understand_

_But I'll still give you a fighting chance_

_Meet me at the place where the sun disappears_

_And this world and the next reflect in the mirrors_

"What the hell is this?" Jun asked once he finished reading it over, thoroughly confused. "Who sent it, and why?"

"That's why it's so weird," Izumi explained, picking up the envelope and flipping it over. "There's no return address, so it couldn't have been mailed. Someone must've left it in Retsu-san's mailbox."

"It's probably just a prank from one of the neighbors," Retsu said flippantly, tossing the card down on the bed. "It's complete nonsense, of course. What do clams have to do with keeping secrets, or two different worlds? Someone's obviously just screwing with us."

"Don't be so dismissive," Reborn admonished, leaping onto his student's shoulder. The boy jumped, nearly knocking the small hitman off of his perch.

"How many times do I have to say don't do that?" he exclaimed, shock giving way to annoyance. "Get off!"

"I don't take orders from you," the baby said with a sharp slap on the cheek. "How about you get on with solving this riddle instead of starting pointless arguments?"

"You can't be serious."

"Why not?"

"I already told you that this makes no sense," Retsu reiterated, picking the letter back up and waving it a few times. "Besides, I'm terrible at riddles. Even if I wanted to start solving this, I couldn't."

"I'm pretty bad too," Jun admitted, to which Izumi nodded in agreement. They turned their eyes on Nao, who had been lost in thought up until that point.

"What?" the high school student asked indignantly. "Don't look at me like that; just because I'm smart doesn't mean I'm any good at thinking these things out. It makes about as much sense to me as it does to you."

"Well this is just great!" Retsu threw up his hands in defeat. "We all suck at thinking outside the box, so let's forget this ever happened and get back to the crisis at hand."

"Not so fast," Reborn interrupted, pulling on the teenager's ear. "This is not something which you can disregard so easily."

"And why not?" his student pressed, surprised by the serious tone the other's voice had adopted.

"I know this handwriting, and this style," the baby explained gravely, pointing at the riddle. "It is the work of the other heir to the Vongola throne, so I would suggest that you not take it so lightly. Your life could depend on this little riddle; Lucian does not show mercy when it comes to his little games."

"Lucian?" Retsu all but squeaked. "The other candidate…that's his name?"

"Yes."

"Why is he doing this?"

"Who knows?" Reborn's gaze hardened. "But regardless of his reasons, you need to solve the riddle."

"How?" the boy exclaimed, momentarily ignoring the varying levels of confusion on his companion's faces in favor of focusing on his tutor. "We already established that none of us are any good at this type of thing."

"Then I would suggest you enlist the help of someone who is," the hitman stated bluntly. "Someone who is well-versed in riddles, word games, and deceptions."

Retsu opened his mouth to protest further, but it snapped closed seconds later as his eyes widened in comprehension. When he next spoke, it was in a whisper, barely audible to anyone except for the infant on his shoulder. "You don't mean…"

"Retsu," Reborn stated, voice firm. "I think it's time you paid another visit to Namimori Shrine."


End file.
